! W E N
HOW TO:
CHOOSE THE PERFECT BEADS
MAKE YOUR OWN ELEMENTS
Issue 3
Ideas and inspiration for ALL
PERFECTLYWRAPPED Ingenious ways with wire
EASTERN PROMISEper Cabochons and Japanese pa
CREATE STYLISH JEWELLERY
£1,015 worth o f prizes to be w on!
levels of jewellery making and beadcrafts
Under the sea Stunning Swarovski masterclass with a seascape theme
7 2 2 nd a s p ti ideas
r Make it a night to remembe
Detailed step-by-step instructions inside! Resin delights
Crocheted chic
ALL TIED UP
w w w. p r a c t i c a l p u b l i s h i n g . c o . u k ISSUE 3 UK £3.99
PROM QUEEN
Quick tricks with ribbons
Only available in specialist retailers
WORLD CUP!
CELEBRATE IN STYLE
HOT MAILLE!
Inspire Imagine Create
WEDDING FEVER!
CHAIN MAILLE WITH A TWIST STEAL THE LOOK
WELCOME
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editor’s
FAVOURITE
hello... ... and welcome to issue 3 of Creative Beads & Jewellery. With summer holiday season approaching and in the hope of the sun putting in a regular appearance over the coming months, our Design Team has gone all-out girlie and glamorous this issue in a bid to inject a little sunshine into your beading and jewellery designs. Whether you are planning some beach time, attending a prom or simply wanting to add a touch of summer to your outfit, we have all areas covered. Judith Hannington shows you how to achieve stunning effects using beads, semiprecious stones and wire on page 12 with an eclectic array of wire-wrapped designs, while Su Pennick’s collection of ribboninspired pieces on page 28 will have you rushing to raid your ribbon stash. Jane Purdy and Amanda Pickstock take inspiration from the sea for a Swarovski masterclass on page 20 with a breathtaking selection of striking jewellery pieces that are sure to make you stand out from the crowd. Whether you favour subtle chic or full-on sparkle, Jane and Amanda have all tastes well and truly catered for. Sticking with a beach theme, but with a different look entirely, Mel Brooke creates fun and funky shell-inspired designs on page 34 and Alison Williams utilises seed beads on page 32 for her unique seafoam choker. Becky Page and Jess Woods introduce us to the art of resin jewellery on page
EDITORIAL Editor – Diane Grimshaw Editorial Assistants – Lindsey Hopkins, Judith Hannington Art Editors – Roy Birch, Stella Osborne Sub-Editors – Anna Wright, Jamie Stuttard, Justine Moran Photographer – Rachel Burgess CONTRIBUTORS Judith Hannington, Ruth Hughes, Jane Purdy, Amanda Pickstock, Su Pennick, Alison Williams, Mel Brooke, Jess Woods, Becky Page, Tracey McPherson, Karen Clarke, Sarah Austin, Sally Carver, Marnie Foot, Aurora Lombardo, Sue Crane, Anna Weller, Samantha Berman, Lisa Borland, Jill Thomas, Emily Kersh, Carolyn Schulz
page
62
“Crocheting with wire and beads to create unique jewellery pieces that look gorgeous!”
Whilst every care is taken in the writing, research and preparation of this magazine, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors in articles or advertisements, or for the contents of websites reviewed. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged.
40 with an in-depth guide to creating your own pendants in a range of shapes and sizes, and Sarah Austin gives her chain maille a colourful makeover on page 56. With weddings and proms taking place in abundance at this time of year, Tracey McPherson and Lisa Borland are on hand on pages 44 and 86 respectively to ensure you make an entrance with a plethora of stunning makes all perfect for the belle of the ball. With all of this and much more besides, including Part 2 of Sally Carver’s fabulous lampwork masterclass on page 58 and Samantha Berman’s contemporary collection of Precious Metal Clay rings on page 80, I think I’ll leave you to it. Have a great month
Editor diane.grimshaw@practicalpublishing.co.uk
PS... Issue 16 of our sister title Creative Cardmaking is now on sale. This issue is packed full of bright projects to get you in the mood for summer, as well as fantastic free papers. Get your copy now – available from your local craft shop.
PUBLISHING & ADVERTISING Publishing Assistant – Janice Whitton janice.whitton@practicalpublishing.co.uk Specialist Retail Account Manager – Chris Cooke chris.cooke@practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 01625 855023 Advertising Sales Executive – Cathy Campbell cathy.campbell@practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 01625 855005 Group Sales Manager – Kevin Edwards kevin.edwards@practicalpublishing.co.uk Advertising Co-ordinator – Rachael Edmunds Financial Director – Karen Battrick Managing Editors – Diane Grimshaw, Gavin Burrell Associate Publisher – Iain Anderson Publishing Director – Dave Cusick Managing Director – Danny Bowler Chairman – Robin Wilkinson The publisher welcomes contributions from readers. All such contributions and submissions to the magazine are sent to and accepted by the publisher on the basis of a non-exclusive transferable worldwide licence unless otherwise agreed in writing prior to first publication. Such submissions are also subject to being used, reproduced, modified, published, edited, translated, distributed and displayed in any media or medium, or any form, format or forum now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose, in perpetuity.
SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Tel: 0844 561 1203 DISTRIBUTION Newstrade – COMAG Magazine Distribution Craft Trade Distribution – Practical Publishing International Ltd Tel: 0844 561 1202 CONTACT Practical Publishing International Ltd, Unit 1, Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK SK10 4NL info@practicalpublishing.co.uk www.practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 0844 561 1202; Fax: 01625 855011
Creative Beads & Jewellery is published by Practical Publishing International Ltd. All material © Practical Publishing International Ltd. The style and mark of Creative Beads & Jewellery is used under licence from Craft Media Ltd. No material in whole or in part may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written consent of Practical Publishing International Ltd. Creative Beads & Jewellery ISSN 2042-5309
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CONTENTS
What’s inside this issue of 12 YOU SPIN ME ROUND
GIVEAWAYS GALORE!
Bring wire to the forefront of your jewellery with Judith Hannington’s stylish pieces
Win some amazing prizes in our fabulous giveaways and competitions
66 TURNING JAPANESE
INSPIRATION
Aurora Lombardo’s makes beautifully combine glass beads and Japanese papers
As always, we bring you the very latest jewellery making tips and ideas
86 BELLE OF THE BALL
20 ESCAPE TO THE SEA
Stand out at those special summer occasions with these breathtaking designs
Enjoy delightful sea-inspired makes in this issue’s Swarovski masterclass
28 RADIANT RIBBON
62 OFF THE HOOK
Create a unique jewellery set using ribbon – Su Pennick shows you how
Marnie Foot shows you how to use traditional techniques in a modern, fashionable way
regulars 06 News
What’s new in the world of jewellery and beads
10 Readers’ Letters
All your questions answered
52 Competition & Giveaways
More great prizes to be won, including brilliant Beads Unlimited goodies!
54 What’s Cooking?
Your ideas, views and top tips
This issue it’s a pretty seahorse pendant, made with fusible paper, in the kiln
18 Giveaways
70 Subscription Offer
£££s worth of products up for grabs
33 What’s On
Don’t miss out on the hottest jewellery show and class dates this summer
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50 The Bead Doctor
www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
Subscribe to Creative Beads & Jewellery and be inspired for less!
72 Designer Gallery
We showcase your inspiring creations
78 Shopping
Indulge in a little retail therapy with our pick of the products this issue
92 Techniques
Master the basic techniques with our step-by-step guides
94 Findings
Our round-up of the vital components of jewellery making
95 Tools
The lowdown on all the tools of the trade
98 Coming Next Issue
A peek at what’s coming up in issue 4
CBJ03 pp04-05 Contents_Beading 25/05/2010 17:36 Page 5
CONTENTS
features 44 Wedding Daze
Think wire, crystals and a delicate burst of colour for dazzling wedding-day creations from hair wear to napkins
48 World Cup Cufflinks 12 Give Us A Twirl!
Patriotism just got a whole lot more stylish with these great cufflinks in national flag designs
Create unique wirework features on your beads with the help of Judith Hannington’s beautiful designs, expert tips and handy templates
68 Magical Markers
Sue Crane’s decorated bookmarks make lovely, unusual gifts for any recipient
16 Romancing The Stone
74 Vintage Charm
Ruth Hughes uses semi-precious stones sprinkled with tiny freshwater pearl nuggets for gorgeous summery jewellery
Pretty vintage glass plus striking mosaic beads equals simply stunning earrings!
56 You’ve Got Maille!
Sarah Austin livens up a straightforward beginner-friendly chain maille weave with a splash of seasonal colour
58 Red Hot Beads 20 Under The Sea
Our Swarovski masterclass combines shimmering crystals with wirework for an ocean-inspired extravaganza in all the colours of a tropical paradise
28 Soft Touch
Ribbon gives a wonderfully tactile, feminine quality to jewellery, as Su Pennick’s pretty organza creations perfectly demonstrate
Sally Carver creates some more fabulous pieces in Part 2 of our series casting a spotlight on lampwork
62 Over The Waves
Using coloured wires and beads, and traditional crochet techniques, Marnie Foot makes beautiful woven jewellery
76 Sugar & Spice
Jill Thomas’s wonderful spiralled Cinnamon Twist necklace is packed with depth and texture
64 Summer Nights
This turquoise and crystal necklace is perfect for a little summertime glamour
32 Going Loopy
You’ll need shiny seed beads galore for this fun choker design
80 Ring The Changes
34 Summer Lovin’
Samantha Berman demonstrates the versatility of Precious Metal Clay with three strikingly different ring designs
Bold, bright pieces in sizzling hot colours that will take you from the beach to the bar this summer holiday
38 Perfectly Moulded
Jess Woods and Becky Page reveal everything you need to know about ultra-versatile resin with some funky modern pendants
66 Turning Japanese
Aurora Lombardo decorates clear glass beads with gorgeous Japanese papers for interesting jewellery pieces that are surprisingly simple to create
86 Prom Queen
Whether you choose sparkling crystal, sophisticated pearls or Lisa Borland’s dancing illusion set, you really can be the belle of the ball this summer
www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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NEWS BEAD SKILLS
PACKING A PUNCH The BeadSmith has just released a great new punch stamp set, allowing you to add letters and numbers to your creations. This set comes in an easy-to-read gothic uppercase font presented in a stylish wooden box, with A-Z letters, an ‘&’ and nine number punches, which let you personalise or designer-mark copper, silver, brass, wood, plastic, leather and more. You can also choose from three sizes of font, with 1.5mm, 3mm and 6mm all available. For more details visit www.beadsmith.com
If you’re a beginner or feel you’re lacking in some jewellery and beading skills, then you probably wish you had an expert by your side to talk you through your bead projects. Look no further! With this brand new Bead Skills DVD you have the expertise of professional teacher, author and college trainer Karen Howard by your side, with her wealth of experience and skills talking you through beading projects, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, wedding favours and much more. Whether you are making jewellery professionally or as a hobby, Bead Skills will teach you many amazing techniques to get you started or take your existing skills to an all-new level. Running Time: 100 minutes. For more details and to get your copy visit www.beadskills.co.uk
AU NATURALE Beads Unlimited has a fabulous selection of beads available in a selection of tones and styles for a natural look. The new and improved bone range has arrived and can be seen in the latest catalogue. The popular plain finish black and white range in tubes, rounds, tyres and squares has been joined by tea-dyed and batik brown finishes. Also available is a lovely selection of burnt horn beads, which fit in perfectly with this season’s trend towards natural tones. Beads Unlimited’s range now comes in seven different shapes and sizes of bead in six tempting designs. Prices start at only 10p per bead with big discounts for small wholesale quantities. Get back to nature at www.beadsunlimited.co.uk, or call 01273 740777 for more information
what’s
NEW? Sit back and relax as we bring you the latest from the world of beading and jewellery
We have a great reader offer for you this issue, with Bead Skills costing you just £19.99 with free P+P in the UK! Check out page 84 for more details
C FOR CERAMIC COILED CREATIONS If you’re a wire jewellery maker, or would like to try your hand at it, take a look at this fab new Coiling Gizmo available from The Bead Shop Nottingham. This
clever tool allows you to easily create fine coils of wire for spacers and metal beads, and even to wrap neatly around larger beads for extra décor. The tool can be used with most diameters of wire, including coloured wires to give really spectacular effects. The Coiling Gizmo costs £5.95 and comes with full instructions for set-up and techniques to help you make your own coiled beads. To get your hands on a Coiling Gizmo and to see the range of products available, visit www.mailorder-beads.co.uk or call 0115 958 8899 We have five Coiling Gizmos to give away so for your chance to win one send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J03 Gizmo, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 9th July 2010
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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
Ceramic beads add a lovely stone-like look to your projects, and B for Beads has a new range in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. Choose from cool blue hues, dusky pinks and teal mixes for an array of different beads for your projects. There are rounds, flat coin, rondelle, oblong and heart-shaped focal beads available, so pay a visit to B for Beads for a closer look. Prices range from 50p to £2 per bead. For more great products visit www. b-for-beads.co.uk or call 01352 755532 B for Beads has donated two packs of ceramic beads worth £10 each, so for your chance to win one send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J03 B for Beads, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 9th July 2010
CBJ03 pp06-08 News2_Beading 25/05/2010 16:35 Page 7
NEWS
SHINEY BEADS IN STROUD
READING ROOM If you’re stuck for the perfect jewellerymaking books then take a look at these latest releases from GMC Publications. New titles Clay So Cute!, Wood Jewelry, The Complete Book of Polymer Clay and Beautiful Button Jewelry cover a great range of projects for claywork, stylish wooden projects and pieces made from buttons and found items for a vintagestyle look. Beautiful Button Jewelry is packed with the work of Susan Davis, owner of Grandmother’s Buttons Collectibles, and shows how you can turn vintage buttons into gorgeous jewellery. The sophisticated and elegant projects are made of such materials as metal, jet glass, pearl, bakelite and celluloid. Davis presents them in historical order, with a little background and anecdotal description of each style. Check out the wealth of beading, jewellery and other craft books available at www.thegmcgroup.com; 01273 477374
We have six copies of Beautiful Button Jewelry to give away, so for your chance to win one, send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J03 GMC, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 9th July 2010
Jewellery addicts Jane Purdy and Amanda Pickstock have just embarked on their latest venture with the launch of a new store in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Stroud is noted for its Bohemian café and gallery culture, a perfect setting for the third Shiney Rocks bead emporium. Shiney Company caters for bead and jewellery addicts everywhere. Its mission has always been to create bead shops that the Shiney team would like to shop in, offering jewellery makers choice and inspiration. Shiney Company bead emporiums cater for all abilities with a range of classes, books and kits for beginners, and more advanced workshops for experienced jewellery designers looking to expand their skills and learn new techniques. In addition to all the crystals and beads, Shiney offers a range of handcrafted jewellery and tiaras. If you have a special occasion, Shiney will design your jewellery, tiara or hair accessories to match your outfit. Whether you want to adorn yourself with unique handcrafted jewellery and let the experts make it to your requirements, or absorb yourself in an enjoyable, therapeutic pastime, there is something for everyone who loves a little bit of sparkle. The new shop is located at 27 High Street, Stroud, Glos, GL5 1AJ; 01453 753609; www.shineyrocks.co.uk. You will also find Shiney Company at 4.11-4.12 Paintworks, Bath Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 3EH; 0117 300 9800, and 5 Saville Row, Bath BA1 2QP; 01225 332506. The Bristol shop is open 10am-5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday with late night shopping on Tuesdays and Thursday until 9pm. You can book workshops and buy beads online at www.shineyrocks.co.uk or call Jane and Amanda on 0117 300 9800
www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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CBJ03 pp06-08 News2_Beading 25/05/2010 16:35 Page 8
NEWS
SIZZLING HOT FOR SUMMER These bold and bright beads from The Bead Shop Scotland are just a small selection of what’s now available for fabulous summer makes. The new releases include lampwork tablet beads with floral detail priced at 80p each, matt coins with heart designs for 40p each and resin rondelles for just 25p each. These beads and more can all be purchased from the Haddington and
Edinbugh shops and online, plus there are wholesale prices and deals available for bulk purchases. www.beadshopscotland.co.uk; 01620 822886 To win this 28-bead selection, worth £12.60, send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J03 Bead Shop Scotland, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 9th July 2010
VINTAGE CHAIN New to Big Bead Little Bead is some lovely vintage-style chain. Most chains are sold by the length and you can buy as little as 10cm if desired. Varieties available include 2.5mm-wide copper-plated chain with 7.5mm brass ball connectors, which is sold in 30cm lengths for £2.35. Also available is 4mm black enamelled chain, selling at 25p for 10cm. To see all the chain and other products available, visit www.bigbeadlittlebead.com
GET SQUISHY! The new JudiKins Clay Squishers are perfect for creating designs with polymer clay, PMC, art clay, shrink plastic and more, so be sure to have a closer look. Made from a highly dense and flexible non-stick black rubber, individual designs measure 2¼” square, with sheets of six designs measuring
YUMMY SCRUMMY We love the fabulous new de-polished glass beads available from Yum Yum Beads. They feel great and gorgeously smooth like sugar-coated almonds! Their matt finish gives them an intense colour that looks good offset against metal, crystal or silver-lined beads. For a great summer look, space them with knots on a long length of coloured waxed cotton cord. This can then be worn as a belt, sautoir, or multi-strand or short necklace. The beads come in an array of colours, shapes and designs, and you will also find a large range of plain coloured beads from 6-14mm in matt and shiny glass to complement them. Visit the Yum Yum Beads shop at 3 Thorntons Arcade in the centre of Leeds, or online at www.yumyumbeads.co.uk or thefrenchbeadshop.co.uk; 0113 244 2888
7x5½”. Each sheet has punched holes for convenient binder storage. You can run the Clay Squisher and your clay through a pasta machine at the same time. RRP: £9 per sheet Check out the different sheets of Clay Squisher designs available by visiting www.stampaddicts.com, or call 01234 855833
We have four Clay Squisher sheets to give away, so for your chance to win one send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J03 JudiKins, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 9th July 2010
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www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
LETTERS
Beads, findings and a herd of other stuff....
your LETTERS We’d love to hear from you, so please share your ideas, opinions and top tips with us. Email letters@practicalpublishing.co.uk or write to Letters, CB&J, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL
STAR LETTER ALL IN A GOOD CAUSE I have been making jewellery to sell for a few months now and all the money that I make is donated to my local church. I started off with just a few packets of beads and
MAKE IT PERSONAL If you like the idea of making your own jewellery but don’t want to splash out on lots of materials, why not buy readymade jewellery but add your own bits and pieces to it to make it unique? I do this all the time. I buy a necklace or bracelet from a highstreet store and then add extra beads and bling to it to make it stand out from the crowd. It works a treat. Zoe Carberry, Lincolnshire CB&J: What a great idea, Zoe. All the girls here at CB&J are going to follow your lead and give that a go too.
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some wire and findings and I was amazed how many items I could make from so little. Because my jewellery is sold to make money for the church, the less money I have to spend, the better it is for the fund. I put a notice up in the church hall asking for the villagers to donate any broken or unwanted jewellery to my cause and I received a plastic bag full of all sorts of bits
and pieces. I spent the next afternoon taking necklaces apart and have re-used the majority of the beads to make new bracelets, bag charms and earrings. Quite a few people have asked me to show them how to make jewellery and I have even got the youth group involved. It’s really popular and it is great to see new jewellery being made from things that would have ended up
READY... STEADY... COOK!
magazine and also for the inspiration. Stephanie Wade, Oxford
I bought issue 1 of CB&J from my local beading shop and took it on holiday with me. I think it’s fab! I was so inspired by the microwave kiln feature that I ordered one while I was away and it was waiting for me when I got home. Up to now I have made seven beads, all completely different, and it was so easy to do. I would never have considered buying a kiln before but Judith’s article really inspired me. Thank you very much for a great
www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
CB&J: Thank you for your positive comments, Stephanie. Judith’s kiln bead feature has been extremely popular with our readers and we are thrilled that so many of you have been inspired to have a go yourselves. Be sure to send in some of your kiln beads for us to have a look at, we would love to see them.
thrown away or forgotten in a drawer. Margaret Baines, Shropshire
ER r LETT ’s Sta STAR f this issue th of
o or riter 50 w h The w receives £ ellery stas r e w t e dj Let y ted b ng an beadi ndly dona ads.com e ki cowb .mad w w w
CB&J: Wow, Margaret, you have been busy! And I am sure your efforts are much appreciated. In this age of recycling it is good to see unused jewellery being
redesigned and put to new use. Keep up the good work and be sure to send in some of your creations for us to have a look at.
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT I have always loved making things. Be it knitting, sewing or strawberry jam, you name it and I’ve probably done it! Not always successfully, I hasten to add, but at least I will have given it a go – and beading is by far my favourite hobby. The reasons for this are endless but one of the main ones is that if you start a piece of jewellery and you make a mistake or you don’t like what you have made, you can simply begin all over again and re-use most of your materials. There aren’t many hobbies that you
can say that about really, are there? Joan Lynch, Morecambe CB&J: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Joan. You’re so right about re-using beads and findings to create new jewellery items. We all know recycling’s good for the planet, and it helps us to save a little money into the bargain, which is even better!
CBJ03 pp10-11 reader's letters_Beading 25/05/2010 14:04 Page 11
LETTERS
PARTY PIECE! Your magazine is very nice and both my daughter and I were spoiled for choice when deciding what to make and where to start. My daughter had been looking for something to do with my granddaughter and her friends for her birthday party and, having seen
the feature on watches in issue 2, she decided that that would be a lovely way to spend the afternoon. So ten 12year-olds all made a lovely watch and a matching bracelet and went home from the party very happy and on time! Kay Chadwick, Edinburgh
CB&J: What a lovely idea for a party. The guests must have enjoyed it and been so proud of their efforts and delighted to have keepsakes of a wonderful afternoon to take home with them. We certainly can’t think of a better way to spend a few hours than with friends, beads and cake!
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE I’m writing to tell you how much I like your magazine and, particularly, that there are so many different sorts of jewellery in it. I love all the delicate, feminine wirework designs and might have a go at making something for a friend, but I’ve got quite a big build and they just get lost on me. All the big, bright beads are perfect though, and I’ve been delighted to ‘discover’ chain maille (I knew it existed but had never thought about having a go at it myself), which really suits the way I dress. I’m thinking that a chain maille cuff with coloured crystals or glass beads will be ‘chunky’ enough to look good on me and still be sophisticated and pretty enough for a posh occasion. I’ve got a black tie dinner coming up so I’d better go and get started! Dawn Smith-Taylor, Gloucestershire CB&J: Thank you for your comments, Dawn. We do try to cater for all tastes and occasions, so it’s great to hear you’ve found plenty of pieces you love in our pages. A chain maille cuff could make stunning statement jewellery – we’d really like to see what you create.
WHAT A TREAT! I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your article on making polymer clay sweets and treats in the last issue. I’ve bought a lot of cute charms over the years but had never stopped to think how easy it might be to make my own. I’ve already done chocoholic keyrings for three friends and Love Heart mobile phone
charms for my two sweet-toothed daughters. It’s Percy Pigs for my youngest niece next, and I’m very grateful for the tip on mixing in translucent rather than white clay for a more realistic jelly look – it would never have occurred to me! It’s great to find such a mix of jewellery styles for all ages and tastes in one place. I am already looking
forward to the next issue of the magazine! Bev Whiting, Guildford CB&J: Those beads are simply delicious, aren’t they? We’re so glad you’ve had such fun with them and been inspired to try something new. Why not check out this issue’s bookmarks on page 68 for an unusual gift idea?
TURQUOISE TEMPTATION I was really excited to see so much turquoise in Issue 2 as it has always been my favourite colour. It was great to see how it could look delicate and feminine used in a pale shade in the ‘Colour my World’ article, unusual and a bit antique combined
with the Idea-ology components in ‘Steampunk’, and really modern (and absolutely gorgeous!) in ‘Tantalizing Turquoise’. I’ve already bought the mixed bead pack you featured and will now try to get my fix from my jewellery rather than buying yet another turquoise top
or dress. My boyfriend will be pleased! Jo Hudson, by email CB&J: We’re fans of turquoise, too, Jo. It’s a lovely, fresh colour for summer with its echoes of the seaside and sunny skies – which is why you’ll find more of it in this issue. Turn to page 20 for some sea-inspired designs.
www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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WIREWORK
give us a JUDITH HANNINGTON DESIGNER
TWIRL!
Wire can be used to produce your own customised findings and create wirework features on beads for unique jewellery pieces. Here, Judith Hannington shows you how
he best thicknesses of wire for creating findings and wirework features are 22 and 24 gauge and the choice between these two is often down simply to personal preference. The thicker the wire, the more you will be able to hammer it out but the more difficult it will be to shape. When wrapping beads in wire, the higher gauge (the higher the number, the thinner the wire) is the more suitable to work with. There are a number of tools you will need to get the best results when working with wire. The basics are pliers, including roundnosed, flat-nosed and chain-nosed versions, and a pair of nylonjaw pliers comes in handy for straightening kinked wire and gently manipulating wire shapes without risking damage to the wire’s surface. For work hardening (that’s strengthening) and flattening shapes formed from wire, a chasing hammer and steel bench block are essential. A light action is all that is necessary to flatten and harden wire – this is achieved by holding the chasing
hammer at the very end of the handle and using a gentle stroking action. This will help to maintain the shiny coating on the wire and avoid damaging it. For this feature I have mostly used acrylic beads – they are available in a variety of large, flat shapes perfect for this technique. The main thing to bear in mind with these beads is that the surface can be marked. Care should be taken not to slide wire around on them excessively and to ensure that your wire ends have no sharp tangs after cutting. An advantage to acrylic beads is that they can be drilled with an extra hole for increased versatility. Acrylic beads usually have a fairly large beading hole, and it is feasible to drill through the beads in the opposite direction for wiring and still keep the bead hole sufficiently open for threading onto your project. Glass beads can also be used – just be careful not to chip the beads when wrapping with wire, especially when manipulating it where it emerges from the bead hole.
T
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CBJ03 pp12-15 Wire works_Beading 25/05/2010 12:36 Page 13
WIREWORK TO CREATE Create a wrapped loop about 66mm along a 110mm length of wire, making about three wraps around the tail wire and leaving the wrapping end of the wire sticking out at 90º to the tail.
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Insert the tail wire through the bead so that the wrapped loop is snug at the top, then fold the wrapping wire end flat onto the face of the bead. Use round-nosed pliers to form this wire end into a heart
2 3
shape to fit the bead. The best method is to remove the wire from the bead for shaping but regularly re-insert it to check for fit and positioning. Finish the wire with a swirl shape. Use your nylon-jaw pliers to gently
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curve the wire shape to fit the surface of the bead snugly. Once you are happy with the fit, thread a silver bead onto the tail wire and create a plain loop snug to this bead to finish. Add six links of chain to this loop.
HEART PENDANT
Thread three headpins with silver beads and a central pearl, forming a plain loop in the ends snug to the final bead. Hang from the chain links at different intervals. Cut two pieces of cord to the desired necklace length. Use chain-nosed pliers to fix a coil end to secure the two cords together, squeezing the end of the coil tight against them. Thread on your completed pendant, attach the second coil end ensuring that the cords are not twisted, then finish with a lobster clasp.
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MATERIALS • green/pink heart bead • silver 22-gauge (0.6mm) wire • silver headpins • candy pink and green freshwater pearl beads • silver 2mm round beads • silver small oval-link chain • pink 1mm cord
• silver coil cone ends • lobster clasp
TOOLS • round-nosed, flat-nosed and chain-nosed pliers • nylon-jaw pliers • side cutters
STAR BOOKMARK TO CREATE Cut a 210mm length of wire and form one end into a loose spiral shape using round-nosed pliers. Gently shape the wire into a reverse curve for the ‘stalk’ of the spiral. Lay the wire onto your star pendant and grasp it using chain-nosed pliers at the first main angle at the bottom of the star. Lift the wire off the star and bend the wire at the correct angle. Repeat the bending process to form the wire into a star shape matching the green outline on the pendant. Regularly lay the wire onto the star to check the shape and grasp it at the correct position for the next bend. Once you are back to the bottom of the
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star, bend the wire end so that it points down away from the star. Use your chasing hammer on the steel bench block to gently flatten the wire shape, avoiding hammering the tail of the wire. Use chain-nosed pliers to gently reshape the star as necessary, then insert the tail wire into the star pendant, bottom to top. Withdrawing the wire slightly from the bead hole as necessary, use the tips of your flatnosed pliers to bend the wire so that the star is folded over onto the face of the pendant. Slide the wire star in and out of the pendant at this stage and use your nylon-jaw pliers to gently curve the wire to fit the surface of the pendant snugly.
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MATERIALS Thread silver beads onto the tail wire so that they slide down into the large pendant hole and help keep the wire central. Stop when one beads sits above the top of the pendant, then form a plain loop in the wire
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end, snug to this bead. If desired, you can add a very tiny dab of epoxy glue under the wire at one or two points to secure it to the pendant. Fix a lobster clasp to the loop and attach the clasp to the bookmark.
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• pink/green acrylic star pendant • silver 22-gauge (0.6mm) wire • silver squiggle bookmark • silver 2mm round beads • lobster clasp • epoxy glue (optional)
TOOLS • round-nosed, chain-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • nylon-jaw pliers • side cutters • chasing hammer • steel bench block
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CBJ03 pp12-15 Wire works_Beading 25/05/2010 12:36 Page 14
WIREWORK Adjust size of template to fit your bead
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Use your chasing hammer on the steel bench block to gently flatten both wire shapes, avoiding hammering the tail of the wire. Insert the swirls into your green bead, one from the top and one from the bottom. Withdrawing the wire slightly from the bead hole as necessary, use the tips of flat-nosed pliers to bend each wire so that the swirls are folded over onto the face of the bead. You can slide the wire swirls in and out of the bead at this stage and use your nylon-jaw pliers to gently curve the wires to fit the surface of the
2 3 DOUBLE SWIRL PENDANT TO CREATE
MATERIALS • green 25mm flat round acrylic bead • silver 22-gauge (0.6mm) wire • hot pink frosted acrylic frilly flower bead • candy pink and green freshwater pearl beads • silver 2mm round beads • silver small ovallink chain
• silver headpins • epoxy glue (optional)
TOOLS • round-nosed, chain-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • nylon-jaw pliers • side cutters • chasing hammer • steel bench block
Before you begin, check the template outline is the same size and shape as your bead. Cut two 10cm lengths of wire and (using the template as a guide) use round-nosed pliers to shape one end of both wires into the two spirals.
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GREEK KEY-INSPIRED PENDANT TO CREATE Before you begin, check the template outline is the same size and shape as your bead. Create a wrapped loop about halfway along a 15cm length of wire, making about three wraps around the tail wire and leaving the wrapping end of the wire sticking out at 90º to the tail.
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MATERIALS • pink opaque large flat rectangle glass bead • silver 22-gauge (0.6mm) wire • choker wire
TOOLS • round-nosed, chain-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • nylon-jaw pliers • side cutters • chasing hammer • steel bench block
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Insert the tail wire through the bead so that the wrapped loop is snug at the top, then fold the wrapping wire end flat onto the face of the bead. Use flat-nosed pliers to form this wire end into the square spiral shape, using the template as a guide. The best method is to remove the wire from the bead for shaping but regularly re-insert it to check for fit and positioning. Use nylon-jaw pliers to gently curve the wire shape to fit the surface of the bead snugly. Remove the wire from the bead and gently bend the tail wire aside before using your chasing hammer on the steel bench
pendant snugly. Once you are happy with the fit, thread a silver bead onto each tail wire and create a plain loop in the wire ends, snug to these beads. Thread a headpin with a pearl, flower and a silver bead, form a plain loop in the end and attach to the bottom of the pendant. Create an eyepin from a small length of wire by forming a plain loop in one end. Thread with silver beads and a pearl, then form a plain loop at the other end to attach your pendant to the chain. Cut your chain to the length desired and finish with a lobster clasp. If desired, you can add a very tiny dab of epoxy glue under the swirly wires at one or two points to secure them to the pendant.
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Adjust size of template to fit your bead
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block to flatten the wire shape, avoiding hammering the tail wire or the wrapped loop. Straighten the tail wire and re-insert into the bead. Mark the position of the bends necessary to fold the tail wire over onto the surface of the bead (using a non-permanent
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pen), then shape the tail wire into the second spiral using the template as a guide. Use a chasing hammer on the steel bench block to gently flatten this wire shape, taking great care not to chip the bead, then fold the wire shape over onto
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the bead’s surface. Use the tips of flatnosed pliers to grasp and pull or manipulate the wire where it emerges from the bottom of the bead to ensure the shape sits snugly on the bead surface. Thread the finished pendant onto your choker wire.
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CBJ03 pp12-15 Wire works_Beading 25/05/2010 12:37 Page 15
WIREWORK TO CREATE Drill a hole centrally through each flower bead from front to back. Position one bead centrally on a 10cm length of wire and fold the wire ends through 90º where they emerge
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from the hole. Use round-nosed pliers to grasp one wire where it emerges from the bead, then wrap the wire around one jaw of the pliers to form a loop. Repeat with the other wire end.
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Hold the bead firmly between your thumb and forefinger and wrap one wire end around its loop to create a spiral shape. Continue wrapping until the centre of the daisy is covered, then
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snip off the wire and tuck the end under the spiral to secure. Repeat the spiral formation on the other side of the bead, then repeat the whole process for the two remaining daisies.
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DAISY CHAIN KEY CHARM
Thread each bead onto a headpin with a silver bead at both ends, then create a plain loop in the headpin snug to the silver bead. Attach each beaded headpin to different lengths of chain and attach the chains to your keyring – use jump rings for this if your chain links are soldered closed.
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MATERIALS • green and pink funky flower beads • silver 24-gauge (0.8mm) wire • silver headpins • silver 2mm round beads • large keyring component • silver large oval-link chain
TOOLS • round-nosed pliers • side cutters • 0.8mm drill bit and pin vise or drill
WIRE-WRAPPED EARRINGS TO CREATE Cut a 30cm length of wire and position your main bead at the halfway point. Fold the wire ends through 90º where they emerge from the bead hole. Use round-nosed pliers to grasp one wire where it emerges from the bead, then wrap the wire clockwise around one jaw of the pliers to form a loop. Repeat with the other wire end, curling the wire anti-clockwise. Hold the bead firmly between your thumb and forefinger and wrap one wire end around its loop to create a spiral shape. Keep the end pulled towards the widest part of the bead to ensure the wire wraps snugly around the bead.
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Stop winding at the widest part of the bead and repeat the wrapping for the other wire end. Trim both wire ends so that they overlap by just 6-7mm, then use round-nosed pliers to form a U-shaped curl in them before interlocking the curls to secure the wires. Use the tips of flatnosed pliers to twist the U-shapes so that the ends are pointing in towards the bead. Create an eyepin from a small length of wire by forming a plain loop in one end. Thread with a silver bead and a pearl before threading on your wire-wrapped bead, followed by another pearl and silver bead.
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MATERIALS
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Form a plain loop in the wire end snug to the final bead and fix to your ear wire. Thread a pearl, flower and silver bead onto a headpin and
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create a plain loop, snug to the silver bead, before hanging from your earring. Repeat the process to complete your matching pair.
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• pink 10mm round acrylic beads • silver 24-gauge (0.8mm) wire • green freshwater pearl beads • silver headpins • hot pink frosted acrylic frilly flower bead • silver 2mm round beads • silver fish-hook ear wires
TOOLS • round-nosed •flat-nosed pliers • side cutters
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THE BEADSTER
romancing the RUTH HUGHES DESIGNER
ABOUT RUTH…
STONE
Evoking the myriad shades of the ocean, Ruth Hughes uses semi-precious stones sprinkled with tiny freshwater pearl nuggets for her summer jewellery collection
NECKLACE
Ruth Hughes is the founder of The Beadster in Shaftesbury, Dorset, and has been passionate about beads and beading for many years. She turned her hobby into a business in 2007, and loves helping people get the most out of their beading budget!
TO CREATE Cut two 1m lengths of Tigertail and tie together at one end with a temporary knot to prevent the beads sliding off the end. Working from the other end, string an Amazonite oval over both strands of the Tigertail, positioning it in the middle – this is the centre of your necklace. I always string necklaces from the centre so that you don’t have to re-string the whole piece if you need to make any fitting adjustments. Slide a pearl nugget over both lengths of Tigertail, then take five fluorite chips and slide them onto one of the Tigertail strands. Take another five chips and thread them onto the other strand. Thread a pearl nugget, Amazonite nugget and another pearl nugget over both strands of Tigertail, then five fluorite chips onto each strand.
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second strand. Snip the knot on the two remaining strands and, holding the necklace by the free ends, shuffle the beads down the two strands. If you find that the chips don’t lie neatly in
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Continue this pattern for another two repetitions, then tie the end of the Tigertail. Snip off the first knot that you made in the Tigertail and repeat the threading for the second half of the
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necklace to complete the design. Check that you are happy with the length and adjust if necessary. Taking one strand of the Tigertail, thread on a crimp and attach to the clasp. Repeat with the
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their sections due to their differing sizes, interleave them to make them uniform. Crimp the ends to the clasp as before, allowing a little slack to give the necklace some flexibility.
MATERIALS • sterling silver S-shaped clasp • 2m Tigertail • 5 x Amazonite ovals (18x13mm) • 6 x Amazonite nuggets (8x7mm) • 22 x pearl nuggets (5x4mm)
• strand of rainbow fluorite chips • 4 x crimps
TOOLS • flat-nosed and round-nosed pliers • side cutters
CBJ03 pp16-17 Store Beadsters_Beading 25/05/2010 12:33 Page 17
THE BEADSTER
• sterling silver twisted rope toggle clasp • 15 x pearl nuggets (5x4mm) • 7 x Amazonite nuggets (8x7mm) • 6 x rainbow fluorite rough-cut nuggets (25x18mm) • 36 x rainbow fluorite rounds (4mm) • 1m Tigertail • 4 x crimps
TOOLS • flat-nosed and round-nosed pliers • side cutters
TO CREATE Cut two 30cm lengths of Tigertail and, on one strand, string four 4mm fluorites, a pearl nugget, a 4mm fluorite and an Amazonite nugget. Then string a 4mm fluorite, a pearl nugget, another 4mm fluorite and a fluorite rough-cut nugget.
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Repeat the following sequence three times: Amazonite nugget, 4mm fluorite, pearl nugget, 4mm fluorite and fluorite roughcut nugget. End with a 4mm fluorite, pearl nugget and four 4mm fluorites, and set aside. On the other strand, string a 4mm fluorite, a pearl nugget and a 4mm fluorite. Then string the following sequence three times: Amazonite nugget, 4mm fluorite, pearl nugget, 4mm fluorite, fluorite rough-cut nugget, 4mm fluorite, pearl nugget and a
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BRACELET
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4mm fluorite. End with an Amazonite nugget,
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4mm fluorite, pearl nugget and 4mm fluorite. Check for fit
EARRINGS TOP TIPS
MATERIALS
Consider using coloured Tigertail to co-ordinate or contrast with your choice of semi-precious chips Don’t agonise over sorting through the chips. Use them as they come off the string until you get to the section around the neck, when you need to choose smaller, smoother chips for comfort. However, when using chips in strong colours, such as the purple fluorite chips, balance them out when constructing the necklace so you don’t get a ‘lop-sided’ look to your design
TO CREATE Thread an Amazonite drop onto a headpin. Bend the headpin at the top of the drop to form a right angle and cut it with side cutters to leave a stalk of just under 1cm. Turn a loop using roundnosed pliers. Twist the loop open with a pair of flat-nosed pliers and hook onto the bottom of the earring finding,
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WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from The Beadster, Sun & Moon Cottage, 1 Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8JW; www.thebeadster.com; 01747 858719
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and crimp to the toggle clasp, allowing a little slack for flexibility.
closing the loop to secure. Repeat with the second Amazonite drop to create a pair.
MATERIALS • sterling silver stud ear fittings • 2 x sterling silver headpins with ball ends • 2 x Amazonite drops (20x12mm)
TOOLS • flat-nosed and round-nosed pliers • side cutters
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GIVEAWAYS CREATIVE METAL CLAY JEWELRY BOOKS
BEAD SHOP SCOTLAND STORAGE AND WATCH FACES SET
6 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £9.99 EACH
1 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £57.20 This selection of great products, as seen in the shopping pages of issue 2, is now up for grabs thanks to Bead Shop Scotland (www.beadshopscotland.co.uk; 01620 822886). The winner will receive four different storage systems and a selection of eight different watch faces for creative projects.
DAYLIGHT COMPANY TABLE TOP LAMP 1 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £99.99 Daylight’s new and improved Floorstanding and Table Top Lamps now have easy-twist shades so you can direct light exactly where you want it. On top of this, the flicker-free lamps are easier to use and kinder to your eyes than ever before! The Daylight Floorstanding Lamp (D23030-01) and the Daylight Table Top Lamp (D23020-01) come in a bright, white finish. Be it patchworking, quilting, stitching, knitting or beading that’s your passion – these lamps will ensure you see the tiniest details clearly and the whole spectrum of colours accurately (www.daylightcompany.com; 020 8964 1200).
Imagine a material that looks and feels like clay and yet, when fired, becomes pure, solid gold and silver! That’s metal clay and this publication features techniques and instructions, lavish photographs and projects that will open up endless creative possibilities to every crafter. With this versatile product, metalwork becomes easier and faster, and it’s simple to create meaningful gifts or add techniques to the forms you’ve already mastered. Combine the clay with lampworked and fused dichroic glass, enamel and beads, and make exquisite jewellery, sculpture, carvings and more (www.the gmcgroup.com; 01273 477374).
TO ENTER
GIVEAWAYS
Over £350 worth of prizes to be won!
For your chance to win one of these great prizes, send your name and address on a postcard, along with the name of the product you want to win, to: CB&J03 Giveaways, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 9th July 2010
LUSH LAMPWORK BEACH BAKED BEAD SETS 4 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £15 EACH
PAPER CELLAR BEAD SETS 10 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £1.98 EACH Paper Cellar (www.papercellar.com; 0871 871 3711) has donated these great sets of black long beads and black flower sequins for your jewellery creations.
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These beautiful Beach Baked bead sets from Lush Lampwork (www. lushlampwork.co.uk; 07906 651846) are comprised of 10 etched turquoise and ivory handmade glass beads with ceramic spacers. The glass beads feature large holes, which will fit Trollbeads bracelets.
DESIGN & MAKE NONPRECIOUS JEWELLERY BOOKS 5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £16.99 EACH A&C Black (www.acblack.com; 020 7758 0200) has donated these fabulous books by Kathie Murphy. Using a stepby-step approach, Kathie creates nonprecious jewellery, making an easy and accessible hobby for all levels of artisan, with all kinds of materials covered such as rubber, polypropylene, nylon, felt, stone and more.
MASTERCLASS SWAROVSKI
JANE PURDY DESIGNER
AMANDA PICKSTOCK DESIGNER
ABOUT SHINEY COMPANY… As the UK’s only Swarovski recommended store, Shiney Company is committed to offering a high level of service, innovation and a wide range of Swarovski components online and at its three shop premises in Bristol, Bath and Stroud. In addition to a fabulous product selection and friendly, knowledgeable advice, the team offers jewellery-making classes, children’s parties and hen parties. See the website www.shineyrocks.co.uk for more information.
ords such as radiant, luminous and enchanting all spring to mind when we think of Swarovski Elements. Designers all over the world have been inspired by the alluring nature of these components since the end of the 19th Century. Many
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under the
SEA are familiar with the popular Xilion bead, previously know as the bicone, but there is a far wider range of components to explore. Beads, pendants, pearls, flat-backs, buttons, sew-on stones, yarns, zippers, transfers, filigrees and the new Crystal Mosaic fusion beads are all widely available, and there’s a
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dazzling array of colours, shapes and sizes to whet your creative appetite. The glorious summer collection we have created on these pages showcases some fabulous sea-themed crystal pendants and luscious pearl colours, and demonstrates a number of different techniques too. We
Think shimmering, glittering tropical fish and rich coral reef colours as Jane Purdy and Amanda Pickstock combine wirework and Swarovski finery for some stunning sea-inspired jewellery pieces
began by selecting a colour scheme for our tropical seascape, and have then used the same beads throughout each project, just integrating them in different ways. Our featured technique is a wiring method – a free-form frame made from 0.8mm wire, shaped into a starfish and
embellished with seed beads and crystals using a finer 0.315mm wire. Many of the techniques involved can be mastered by a complete beginner, but the making of the starfish will require some command over the wire and, as always, neatness comes with practice. Other techniques
CBJ03 pp20-27 Masterclass Swarov_Beading 25/05/2010 12:29 Page 21
MASTERCLASS SWAROVSKI
featured in these pieces include stringing, weaving, gluing and some professional finishing methods. Four basic jewellery tools are required to complete these projects: snipe-nosed pliers, flat-nosed pliers, round-nosed pliers and side cutters or flush cutters. Flush cutters are useful when
working with 0.8mm wire as you can make a cleaner cut, thus avoiding the need to file the end of the wire. Another useful addition to the tools list is a pair of flatnosed nylon-jaw pliers for straightening unwanted kinks and thus wasting less wire. Reverse the kink first with your fingers, then
run nylon-jaw pliers over the wire to straighten it out. They’re also perfect for gripping wire without marking it. If you are a regular wire worker, once used, you’ll never be without a pair! Our findings, chain and wire are mainly gold-plated, but we have chosen to use
silver-plated for the earrings and ring to demonstrate a variation. It shows that these warm summery colours work just as well with cool silver too. In designing these pieces, inspired by nature, we allowed our random sides to reign. Some include so many tiny seed
beads, added in no particular order, that we must encourage you to draw on your individual creative skills and instincts and decide how you work with the colours and beads based on our guidelines. We only hope that you have as much fun as we did making these pieces.
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CBJ03 pp20-27 Masterclass Swarov_Beading 25/05/2010 12:29 Page 22
MASTERCLASS SWAROVSKI MATERIALS Please note that the quantities listed are based on bag quantities sold by Shiney Company and are enough to complete all projects with some remaining
WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from the Shiney Company stores at: 5 Saville Row, Bath BA1 2QP; 01225 332506 4.11-4.12 Paintworks, Bath Road, Bristol BS4 3EH; 0117 300 9800 27 High Street, Stroud, Glos GL5 1AJ; 01453 753609 or online at www.shineyrocks.co.uk
• 15g Semi-Matte Silver Lined Gold size 11 • 15g Galvanized Light Beige size 11 • 15g Silver Lined Light Blue size 11 • 15g Galvanized Dark Blue Grey size 11 • 15g Silver Lined Green AB size 11 • 15g Coral Lined size 8 • 15g Transparent Sapphire size 8 • 15g Silver Lined Dark Blue Zircon size 8
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS PEARLS • 4mm, 5mm and 8mm Coral Pearls • 6mm and 10mm Bright Gold Pearls • 6mm Powder Green Pearls
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS CRYSTAL XILION (BICONE) BEADS • • • • • • • • •
50 x 4mm Capri Blue 50 x 4mm Blue Zircon 50 x 4mm Emerald AB2x 50 x 4mm Jet AB2x 50 x 4mm Pacific Opal 25 x 6mm Blue Zircon 25 x 6mm Indicolite 25 x 6mm Pacific Opal 25 x 6mm Capri Blue
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS CRYSTAL PENDANTS • 20mm Starfish in Crystal AB and Indicolite • 14mm Peridot Fish Bead • 18mm Indicolite Fish Bead • 14mm Crystal Golden Shadow Fish Bead • 12mm Peridot Butterfly • 12mm Jonquil Butterfly • 25mm Crystal Moonlight Coral Pendant
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TOP TIP
MIYUKI SEED BEADS It’s best to adjust the shape of the frame before you trim the overlapping wires. Remember that the starfish points don’t need to be exact – it looks more natural that way
FINDINGS, WIRE AND THREAD • 60 x 4mm gold-plated corrugated crimp covers • 60 x 2mm gold-plated hard crimps • 12mm gold-plated trigger clasp • gold-plated toggle clasp • 50 x 6.8mm goldplated jump rings • 50 x 8.8mm goldplated jump rings • gold-plated mother and son chain (1m) • 0.8mm gilt-plated wire (10m) • 0.315mm gold-plated wire (70m) • Beadalon 0.18mm 7strand flexible jewellery wire (30ft) • clear monofilament • 50 x 50mm goldplated thick soft headpins • large gold-plated pinch bails • sieve ring base • sieve pendants (for the earrings) • 11mm flat-pad glue-on earring parts with butterfly backs • Gem-Tac glue • 18mm brooch back • hairgrips
TOOLS • round-nosed, snipenosed and flat-nosed pliers • nylon-jaw pliers • side cutters or flush cutters
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BEADED WIRE STARFISH TO CREATE Begin with a 20cm length of 0.8mm gilt-plated wire. Grip it 3cm from one end, approximately halfway along your roundnosed pliers, andmake a hairpin bend in the wire (see Fig 1). Grip the long end of wire halfway along the round-nosed pliers, approximately 10mm from the previous bend, and make another bend 70º from the last (see Fig 2). Grip again 10mm from the last bend
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and push the wire around the roundnosed pliers to create another hairpin bend. Repeat three more times, making five points in total to create the shape of a starfish. The wires should overlap as shown in Step 3. Trim them 1cm past the overlap, turn a loop at the end of each wire with the round-nosed pliers, and position so that the loops sit on top of each other (see Fig 4). Cut 80mm of 0.315mm goldplated wire and wrap one end neatly around the overlapped loops. Using the long end of wire, wrap around the edge of the frame towards one of the points (see Fig 5). Wrapping in this way is like sewing with a fine thread – the wire may snap or knot if you don’t keep an open loop as you feed it back through and pull.
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Thread on one or more beads and lay the wire across the frame to bridge the gap, wrapping around the edge of the opposite side. Make a further 2-3 wraps down the edge of the frame, add enough beads to bridge the gap, and come back in the other direction. Repeat Step 6, working your way around the points of the starfish and finally filling in across the centre. You may need to use the wires you have laid in place as an anchor point when filling in the middle. We have used a random mixture of size 11 and size 8 seed beads with 4mm crystals and pearls to weave inside the frame (see Fig 6). Finish the wire at the edge of the frame by wrapping around a few times to secure. Snip the end and squash flat with snipe-nosed pliers.
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MASTERCLASS SWAROVSKI FESTIVAL OF THE SEA NECKLACE
TO CREATE Cut a 25cm piece of Beadalon. Thread a hard crimp on one end and fold the end of the wire back through the crimp to form a tiny loop. Squash the crimp with the snipe-nosed pliers and cover with a crimp cover. String a mixture of size 8 and size 11 seed beads, adding a few 4mm Xilion crystals as accents. Graduate the seed bead colours from dark blue through shades of green and light blue to gold, to represent the depths of the sea with the golden sand at the top. Include fish beads wherever you choose.
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Once you have reached your desired length (our longest piece is 17cm), thread a crimp after the last bead and squash. Cover with a crimp cover and trim any excess wire. Continue making strands in varying lengths. Our example shows 27 strands. To add a starfish pendant, thread six seed beads, the pendant, another six seed beads and a hard crimp. Thread the end of the wire through the crimp to form a loop through the hole. Finish with a crimp and crimp cover. Continue beading the strand,
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then make a loop at the other end in the same way as before. Score a 60cm piece of flexible wire with scissors (as you would with ribbon). Make a loop as before at one end, then bead the wire with seed beads, pearls and butterflies in golden and coral tones. Make another loop to finish. Repeat. With a 60cm length of flexible wire, thread on a crimp and a wire guardian, and pass it back through the crimp. Squash the crimp and cover. Attach a jump ring and a trigger clasp to this end. Bead 9cm with seed beads and accent with crystals.
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TOP TIPS
advanced
Waste less wire by cutting a long length of flexible wire at the start and working off the long end for each strand Use a piece of chain with a small starfish pendant or bead as a decorative extender chain
Thread on the ends of the curled pieces of beaded wire, then a couple of seed beads or a crystal, followed by a strand. Continue alternating between beads and strands until you have added all the strands, then add the other ends of the curled pieces. Continue beading the other side until you reach the desired
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length. Finish with a hard crimp and wire guardian finishing as before. Add a jump ring to the wire guardian. Using 6.8mm jump rings, link the curled wires to the main necklace strand for effect. Attach three readymade beaded starfish pendants, following the step-bystep technique shown on page 22.
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MASTERCLASS SWAROVSKI
GEMBALAYA NECKLACE beginner
TO CREATE Using a selection of crystal, pearls, pendants and feature beads, add various beads to your headpins. Trim the excess length of headpin, leaving 1cm, and turn a loop at the end with roundnosed pliers. Add pinch bails to the pendants you wish to include. Cut a 42cm length of gold-plated chain and a separate piece measuring 9cm. Attach
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your pendants and beaded headpins in random order to the 9cm chain, going for a ‘jumbled’ effect but ensuring it doesn’t appear too lopsided. Attach your decorated chain to the middle of the longer chain. Add the toggle parts to either end of the necklace. Decorate the front area of the necklace chain, either side of the dangle, by attaching one or more crystals, pearls or pendants to a jump ring and then to the chain.
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MASTERCLASS SWAROVSKI
SEA URCHIN RING beginner
TO CREATE Take a 1m length of clear monofilament and thread one end down though the centre hole of the sieve so that approximately 7cm protrudes from the back. Thread the other end through a
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hole next to it and knot the two ends twice at the back, then thread back up through the centre hole. Do not trim the short end – you’ll need it later to secure the finish. Next thread on a crystal or pearl, followed by a seed bead. Feed the end of the monofilament over the seed bead, back
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through the crystal or pearl and through the centre hole. Pull so the beads sit tight to the sieve. Thread up through the next hole from the back of the sieve and repeat Step 2 using random beads. When you have beaded every hole, secure the two ends of thread on the reverse by knotting. Trim both ends of monofilament.
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Place the beaded sieve on the ring base and use the snipe-nosed
pliers to close the claws over the sieve edge.
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CBJ03 pp20-27 Masterclass Swarov_Beading 25/05/2010 12:30 Page 26
MASTERCLASS SWAROVSKI
TO CREATE Complete the feature technique to make a starfish as shown on page 22. Use the remaining wire to attach the starfish to a hairgrip by threading the wire through both elements. Take care to thread around only one side of the grip so as not to stop the grip from opening fully. Continue threading through the starfish and around the grip, ensuring the grip is sitting the right way up. To avoid having wire showing at the front of the starfish, you can add a few seed beads as you thread. Once the grip feels secure, feed the wire back through the starfish to one edge and finish the wire as you did in Step 8 of the feature technique.
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STARFISH HAIRGRIP intermediate/advanced
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CBJ03 pp20-27 Masterclass Swarov_Beading 25/05/2010 12:30 Page 27
MASTERCLASS SWAROVSKI SEA URCHIN EARRINGS beginner
TO CREATE Begin this project 24 hours ahead of time to allow the glue to dry. Cut the rings from the sides of the sieve pendants with wire cutters. File any sharp edges as necessary. Place a small blob of Gem-Tac glue onto the edge of one of the pendant backs. Place the earring post on the glue. Repeat with the other earring and leave to dry overnight. In the meantime, embellish the sieve parts in the same way as you did for the Sea Urchin Ring on page 25. Attach the embellished part to the earring base, closing the prongs carefully using snipenosed pliers.
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STARFISH BROOCH intermediate/advanced
TO CREATE Complete the feature technique to make a starfish. Thread the remaining wire through the holes in a brooch back and then through the starfish. Secure and finish as with the Starfish Hairgrip opposite.
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JEWELLERY RIBBON
SOFTtouch SU PENNICK DESIGNER
Whether used for stringing or decoration, ribbon can give an extra feminine dimension to jewellery, as well as adding colour and wonderful texture. Su Pennick shares some pretty organza designs ibbon is a delightful stringing alternative for use in jewellery making and there are endless types available. With a vast range of colours and patterns, and materials ranging from satin and organza to velvet and grosgrain, you are sure to find something suitable to add a little extra glamour and elegance to your creations. Ribbon can be used on its own for stringing or combined with chains and wires to create a sturdier structure or a more unusual look.
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TAKING SHAPE If beads are to be threaded straight onto ribbon, they need to have larger holes to accommodate the bulk of the gathered-up width of ribbon. This can mean that a large, usually heavier, type of bead needs to be used. The weight of such beads can distort the ribbon, causing it to be pulled and therefore to hang unattractively. One way to combat this problem is to use several strands of ribbon together, which will add strength and keep their shape. It also helps if shorter lengths of ribbon are used and linked
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together, rather than one long length. Another way of adding more stability to ribbon jewellery, especially necklaces, is to incorporate a length of chain or threading wire, such as Beadalon. This will not only ease the weight of heavy beads from the ribbon, but can be used to add smaller, more delicate beads and charms to the design – items that would be difficult to thread onto even the narrowest of ribbons. Ribbon does not have to be used merely as a stringing medium. It can be made into rosettes and flowers, gathered to create ruffles and tied to produce knots and bows.
LOOSE ENDS It is important to ensure that the ends of ribbons are dealt with effectively to avoid fraying. If ends are left loose after making bows or ruffles it is advisable to add a touch of clear glue to them to prevent unravelling. If the ribbon is used for stringing then either fold-over clasps, ribbon crimps or cones can be used to not only keep the ends firmly enclosed and attached to fasteners, but also hidden away.
CBJ03 pp28-31 Jewellery Ribbon_Beading 25/05/2010 15:37 Page 29
JEWELLERY RIBBON
MATERIALS • 2.25m lilac 1.8cm organza ribbon • 6 x silver-plated filigree cone ends • silver-plated 0.8mm wire • 3 x green lampwork beads • 4 x silver 7mm jump rings • silver toggle clasp
TOOLS • flat-nosed, chainnosed and roundnosed pliers • wire cutters
RIBBON NECKLACE TO CREATE Cut nine 25cm lengths of ribbon. Take three lengths and thread a bead onto the middle of them. Tie a knot close to either side of the bead. Cut two 5cm lengths of wire and bend a 0.5cm hook in one end of each. Take one end of the knotted ribbons. Fold the end of each of the three lengths of ribbon in half and
1 2 3 BASIC TECHNIQUE – RIBBON RUFFLES Cut a 10cm length of 0.8mm wire and form a loop at one end. Cut the end of a length of 6mmwide organza ribbon
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to a point and thread it onto the wire carefully so that the wire is pushed between the woven threads. Thread the wire in and out of the
ribbon at evenly spaced intervals. The length of these intervals depends upon the size of the ruffles required. Push the loops of thread so that they
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are gathered at the loop end of the wire. Twist the loops around the wire so that they fan out to create an even ruffle. Cut the end of the ribbon to a point and thread on a bead,
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attach them together with the wire hook. Use flat-nosed pliers to flatten the hook and keep the ribbon ends in place. Thread the end of the wire through the hole in a cone and pull the ribbon ends into the cone. Trim the wire and form a loop. Attach a second cone to the other end of the knotted ribbon. Create two more of the knotted ribbon lengths. Connect the cones at the end of the knotted ribbons together with 7mm jump rings. Attach each end to a clasp with jump rings.
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which will keep the ribbon in place. Add more ruffles and beads if desired and finish by trimming the wire and forming into a loop to hold the ribbon in place.
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CBJ03 pp28-31 Jewellery Ribbon_Beading 25/05/2010 15:37 Page 30
JEWELLERY RIBBON
TO CREATE
RIBBON PHONE CHARM
Thread three small silver beads onto headpins, trim and form a loop. Cut a 10cm length of wire and form a loop in one end, enclosing the three silver bead dangles. Thread ribbon onto the wire, create a ruffle and thread a green bead . Re-attach the ribbon and create a second ruffle. Thread a second bead and create a larger-diameter ruffle. Trim the wire if necessary and form a loop. Attach to the ring of a phone charm.
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MATERIALS • lilac 6mm organza ribbon • 2 x green lampwork beads • silver-plated 0.8mm wire • 6 x silver headpins • 6 x small silver beads • phone charm
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CBJ03 pp28-31 Jewellery Ribbon_Beading 25/05/2010 15:37 Page 31
JEWELLERY RIBBON RIBBON BRACELET
MATERIALS • 84cm lilac 1.8cm organza ribbon • 3 x green lampwork beads • 2 x fold-over clasps • silver toggle clasp • 4 x 5mm jump rings
TOOLS • flat-nosed, chain-nosed and round-nosed pliers • wire cutters
TO CREATE Cut three 28cm lengths of ribbon. Thread the three beads to the middle of the three lengths of ribbon and tie a knot both sides of each bead. At each end of the bracelet, fold the three lengths of ribbon in half and secure with a fold-over clasp. Attach each end to a toggle clasp using two jump rings for additional strength.
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MATERIALS • lilac 6mm organza ribbon • 2 x green lampwork beads • silver-plated 0.8mm wire • 2 x 7mm jump rings • 6 x silver headpins • 6 x small silver beads • ear wires
TO CREATE Thread three small silver beads onto headpins, trim and form a loop. Cut a 5cm length of wire and form a loop in one end, enclosing the three silver bead dangles. Thread ribbon onto the wire, create a
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ruffle, then thread a green bead. Reattach the ribbon and create a second ruffle. Trim the wire if necessary and form a loop. Attach to an ear wire with a jump ring. Repeat for the second earring.
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TOP TIP
RIBBON EARRINGS
If you are using beads with large holes to match other items of jewellery, try threading smaller beads inside the holes. These will be hidden but will keep the large holes firmly placed on the thin wire
WHERE TO BUY Silver-plated filigree cone ends and open-end clasps are available from www.mailorder-beads.co.uk Green lampwork beads are available from www.abacusbeademporium.co.uk www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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GLOBAHOLIC
going ALISON WILLIAMS DESIGNER
LOOPY
Grab handfuls of shining summery beads and start looping the loop with this fantastic, fun design from Alison Williams
CHOKER
ABOUT GLOBAHOLIC… Globaholic started as a small eBay shop in 2004 and has grown into an online beads and findings superstore with over 1,000 different products. The store is constantly changing its stock to keep up with current beading trends. New customers can receive a 10% discount on their first order, and postage and packing is free. The website also offers a blog and regular newsletters.
MATERIALS • 180cm Tigertail • 259 x size 7 seed beads • 71 x 4mm lustred Indian glass beads • 43 x 4mm cut glass beads • 6mm cut glass beads • T-bar fastener • headpin • 3 x crimps and crimp covers • 6 x jump rings (plus extra if required)
TO CREATE Take two 60cm lengths of Tigertail, pass through a crimp bead and make a loop. Add a crimp cover. Thread 12 seed beads onto each side. Pass both ends through one 4mm Indian glass bead in opposite directions, creating a loop. Add seven Indian glass beads on each side. Pass both ends in opposite directions through a 4mm cut
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glass bead, then add four more to each, and thread both ends through another cut glass bead. Add 27 seed beads to each side then pass both ends through an Indian glass bead. Add six more Indian beads to each side, then pass both ends in opposite directions through another Indian bead. Add four cut glass beads to each end, then pass both ends in opposite directions through another cut glass bead and add 27 seed beads to each end. Thread both ends in opposite directions through one Indian bead and add seven more Indian beads to each end. Pass both ends in opposite directions through another Indian bead, then add 12 seed beads to each end. Thread on a crimp bead and pass
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both ends back through it to create the end loop. Cover with a crimp cover. Take another 60cm length of Tigertail and thread one end through the middle bead on the fifth ring from the left. Add 15 seed beads to each side, then pass both ends through a cut glass bead. Add two cut glass beads to the right end and six to the left, then run both ends through another cut glass bead. Add five Indian beads to the right end, then pass through two seed beads on the middle loop above. Add a further two Indian beads to the right and seven to the left. Then pass both ends in opposite directions through another Indian bead. Add four cut glass beads to each end
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and pass both ends in opposite directions through another cut glass bead. Add seven seed beads to the right side, then pass through the middle bead in the loop above. Thread 33 seed beads onto the right and six onto the left, then thread both ends in opposite directions through an Indian bead. Add one Indian bead to the left end, then pass through the cut glass loop to the left, and add three more Indian beads. Add six Indian beads on the right. Add five seed beads to the left and pass the end through the Indian bead in the loop above. Add 20 more seed beads to the left and 12 seed beeds to
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the right, then pass both ends through a cut glass bead in opposite directions. Add three cut glass beads to each end and pass both ends in opposite directions through one more. Pass the ends in opposite directions through an Indian bead, then add a crimp and make a small loop close to the last bead. Trim off any excess and add a crimp cover. Make a charm using a headpin with two 6mm cut glass beads and two seed beads, and add to the end. To finish, add three jump rings to each end and complete with a T-bar toggle fastening. You can add extra jump rings to make it longer if necessary.
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WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from www.globaholic.com
DIARY
Image supplied by Beads Unlimited, www.beadsunlimited.co.uk; 01273 740777
what’s ON 13TH JUNE
27TH JUNE
14TH JULY
THE 10TH WEST OF ENGLAND BEAD FAIR
THE NEWBURH FESTIVAL PRACTICAL BEAD & JEWELLERY MAKING COURSE
VICTORIAN-STYLE BRACLET CLASS
Wincanton Racecourse www.westofenglandevents.co.uk 01747 852500
16TH JUNE
CHEVRON STITCH CLASS The Brighton Bead Shop www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777
19TH JUNE
Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire www.westofenglandevents.co.uk 01747 830666
30TH JUNE
PEYOTE STITCH CLASS The Brighton Bead Shop www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777
SWAROVSKI JEWELLERY CLASS The Brighton Bead Shop www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777
20TH JUNE
THE BEADWORK FAIR Millenium Grandstand, Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket, Suffolk www.beadwork.net
CAMBRIDESHIRE BEAD FAIR Newmarket Racecourse www.beadwork.net
GEM ‘N’ BEAD SHOW Newcastle Racecourse, High Gosforth Park, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne www.gemnbead.co.uk 07817 511360
4TH JULY The EPIC Centre, Lincolnshire Showground www.beadwork.net
7TH JULY 23RD JUNE
RIGHT-ANGLE WEAVE CLASS The Brighton Bead Shop www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777
17TH JULY
RIGHT-ANGLE WEAVE CLASS
The Brighton Bead Shop www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777
18TH JULY 3RD – 4RD JULY
THE BEADWORK FAIR 20TH JUNE
The Brighton Bead Shop www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777
LARIAT/CHOKER STITCH CLASS
The Brighton Bead Shop www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777
26TH – 27TH JUNE
10TH – 11TH JULY
GEM ‘N’ BEAD SHOW
GEM ‘N’ BEAD SHOW
Elsecar Heritage Centre, Elsecar, South Yorkshire www.gemnbead.co.uk 07817 511360
Farnham Maltings, Bridge Square, Farnham, Surrey www.gemnbead.co.uk 07817 511360
THE BEADWORK FAIR Hereford Leisure Centre, Hereford www.beadwork.net
25TH JULY
THE BEADWORK FAIR The South of England Centre, Ardingly, West Sussex www.beadwork.net
The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd offers a wide range of workshops, including the popular Crystallized Swarovski Elements courses as well as basic jewellery making, Wig Jig, wire, polymer clay and bead weaving classes. Prices include all materials (unless otherwise stated) and Fair Trade refreshments. All classes are held at the Nottingham city centre shop. For dates and bookings please visit www.mailorder-beads.co.uk or call 0115 958 8899. www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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BEADS BY LILI
MEL BROOKE DESIGNER
ABOUT MEL… When Mel launched www.beadsbylili.com she had a hunch that beading and jewellery making would become popular in the UK. Like many others, she started out designing and selling jewellery pieces at local craft fairs but, she says, ‘it was difficult to source interesting, fashionable beads, so I began to spend a lot of time working on that to the point where the bead side of the business took over’. So Beads by Lili was born, with the strapline ‘We dream of beads’ because, Mel says, ‘beading and fashion is my passion and I literally would dream of beads!’. She continues: ‘I have always tried to source interesting things that are a little different and feel that in an everexpanding marketplace there needs to be someone offering a range of exciting products at a competitive price. I want to help and encourage people to take their ideas and make them into something that’s fun, funky and unique!’
SUMMER lovin’ Using big, bright beads in funky shapes, Mel Brooke shares a selection of sizzling summer designs that will take you from the beach to the bar
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CBJ03 pp34-37 Store Beads By Lil 4-pages_Beading 25/05/2010 15:32 Page 35
BEADS BY LILI MATERIALS • • • • •
2 x eyeglass holders 4 x 9mm split rings 2 x necklace hooks 2 x 2.5cm lengths of chain 6mm glass rounds (in bright colours) • shell nuggets • shell discs • headpins and eyepins
before and connect them to the chain in a staggered pattern. Repeat for the other piece of chain. Use jump rings to attach three shell discs to the chain lengths in a staggered pattern between the shell nuggets. Each piece of chain should now look as shown here, with alternating shell discs and nuggets up either side of the chains and topped with the split rings. These are the detachable charms. To wear the beaded chain as a lariat-style necklace, simply detach the split rings attaching the rubber eyeglass holders to the necklace hooks and attach the charms you have created instead. Then just ‘flip’ the ends of the necklace over each other at staggered heights for best effect.
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HOLIDAY SUNGLASSES HOLDER/LARIAT NECKLACE STEP BY STEP Thread a 6mm round bead onto an eyepin, bend the wire over the top at 90º, trim to 1cm and make a simple loop on the top with round-nosed pliers. Repeat this approximately 25 times and do the same with shell nuggets. Carefully open the loops on the tops of the wired beads and
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shell nuggets by twisting to the side with chain-nosed pliers, allowing them to be connected together to create an alternating, colourful, linked chain. When you have wired approximately 20 of each bead and shell nugget together, stop to check the length is adequate for the wearer and add a few more beads if necessary.
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When the beaded chain is of the correct length, attach the necklace hooks directly to the loops on the last beads on either end of the chain. Attach a loop on the eyeglass rubber finding to a 9mm split ring, then attach that ring to the necklace hook. Repeat on the other side. At this stage the chain can now be
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worn as a simple holder for your sunglasses. To make the detachable charms, attach a short length of chain to a 9mm split ring (it may be easier to open it by using a special split ring tool or pliers). Repeat with the second length of chain. Thread four shell nuggets onto headpins, make simple loops on the tops as
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CBJ03 pp34-37 Store Beads By Lil 4-pages_Beading 25/05/2010 15:32 Page 36
BEADS BY LILI
HOLIDAY BAG CHARM
MATERIALS • trigger keyring finding • shell flower bead • waxed cords (in various colours) • 12 x frosted 8mm round beads • 6 x ‘antique silver’ acrylic star charms • 2 x 1” headpins • 10mm jump ring • 5 x 6mm jump rings • 3cm length of chain
TO CREATE Begin by threading one of the headpins through a hole in one side of the shell bead. Bend the wire over at 90º, trim and make a simple loop on the top, but before closing fully,
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HOLIDAY BOOK THONG TO CREATE Cut a piece of faux suede thong to approximately 55cm in length and trim both ends to a slight diagonal with scissors (this makes threading beads easier). Thread one end through one half of the threading hole on a large acrylic flower power bead, bringing the end through the middle. Pull the end through sufficiently to enable you to make an overhand knot and either leave the end
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dangling as shown here or trim, according to your own preference. Thread a white spacer bead and a cube on top of the flower. Tie an overhand knot on the top of the
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MATERIALS • faux suede thong • 2 x 15mm spacer beads • 2 x 10mm resin cubes • Flower Power bead • 20mm stripy resin bead
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two beads to secure them in place. Thread a cube, spacer and large 20mm resin round bead onto the other end of the faux suede thong. Tie an overhand
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knot either side of the beads to secure them in place.
attach the short length of chain. Use another headpin to create a loop on the other side of the shell flower, but this time attach an ‘antique silver’ acrylic star charm before closing.
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BEADS BY LILI Cut a 20cm length of coloured wax cord, double over and tie a knot in the top to form a loop. Thread an 8mm round bead onto the bottom of one end of the cord and tie a knot to hold it on, then do the same on the second side. Create another five of these. Open a 10mm jump ring carefully by twisting to the side with two pairs of pliers and thread on the chain from the shell flower. Thread three of the beaded cord strands onto each side of the chain via the loops in the top. Just before closing the jump ring, using two pairs of pliers as before, add on the trigger keyring finding. If desired, use jump rings to add more star charms onto the chain or by attaching to knots in the wax cord.
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FUNKY SUMMER WINE GLASS CHARMS TO CREATE Cut four loops of ring-size memory wire, making sure that each one is long enough to overlap its end by half again. Using specially designed memory wire cutters for this is recommended so as not to blunt your ordinary cutters. Use round-nosed pliers to make a loop at one end of the memory wire. If you find it hard to turn the wire all the way
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around (it is very tough!) use chainnosed pliers to help close the loop. Thread on sufficient beads, in alternating colours as shown, to take you to approximately halfway around the memory wire loop. Next thread on a star charm, a shell bead and a wired 10mm stripy resin bead (make four of these using the headpins, seed beads and resin beads).
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Thread more 4mm beads in alternating colours to near the other end, leaving enough room to turn a final loop. Squeeze the two ends to overlap slightly so that they will ‘hug’ the stem of a wine glass when in use.
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MATERIALS • ring-size memory wire • 4 x large shell acrylic charms • 4 x 10mm stripy resin beads • seed beads • 4 x ‘antique silver’ acrylic star charms • mixed 4mm round beads • 4 x 5mm jump rings • 4 x 1” headpins
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WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from Beads by Lili; www.beadsbylili.com; 01249 651769 www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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TECHNIQUE RESIN
JESS WOODS DESIGNER
BECKY PAGE DESIGNER
perfectly
MOULDED
ABOUT BECKY... Becky is a designer at The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd where she uses her eye for colour to create bright contemporary designs. She has recently started using resin to create beautiful pendants. These are now available to buy from The Bead Shop, and more of Becky’s designs can be seen at www.folksy.com/shops/ CherryBopp
ABOUT JESS... Jess has a talent for creating bright, funky jewellery and accessories and is the creator of these beautiful resin pendants, now available from The Bead Shop. You can find more of Jess’s individual designs at ww.folksy. com/shops/stitches
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Jess Woods and Becky Page explore the different types of resin and create some stunning pieces using this increasingly popular medium esin is an extremely versatile medium that is really growing in popularity among jewellery makers. There are several different types of resin available, the most frequently used being epoxy, urethane, polyester and UV. Epoxy resin is low-odour and has a 50:50 mixing ratio with an average setting time of 24-72 hours. Urethane resin is also low-odour with a 50:50 ratio, but with a much faster setting time of just 3-60 minutes. Polyester resin is one of the cheapest on the market and
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has a strong odour (you must be wearing a face mask when working with it and ensure that the room stays well ventilated). A ratio of 1-3% hardener to resin is used. UV resin comes ready-to-use and can only be cured by exposure to an ultraviolet lamp, which means the set-up costs are fairly high. The curing process takes 2-5 minutes. Epoxy and urethane are the most suitable types of resin for beginners to work with as they are lowodour and the mixing ratio between resin and hardener is 50:50, which is nice and easy to remember!
MARVELLOUS MOULDS The easiest moulds to use are made from silicone. There is no need for a release agent and, due to silicone’s flexibility, de-moulding the resin pieces is a quick and simple process. There is a wide range of silicone mould shapes available to buy – try searching for ice-cube trays, chocolate and soap moulds. You can buy self-releasing polypropylene moulds, but these often require a mould-release agent. The finish on your mould will affect the finish on the resin – you can achieve either a shiny finish or a matte, almost frosted,
appearance that can be polished by buffing the surface, or by coating it in a thin layer of epoxy resin for a glossy finish. Resin and water do not mix so surgical spirit is a must for cleaning. If the mould gets a little dusty, anti-static wipes will work wonders. Accurate measuring is very important when working with resin and it is best to use plastic cups for this that can then be thrown away. It is very difficult to completely empty out the resin and you don’t want an old batch to contaminate a new one. Disposable plastic spoons are
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TECHNIQUE RESIN
ideal for stirring the resin as they make it easy to control the flow of resin into the mould. When mixing it is important to combine resin and hardener slowly and not pour the resin from a great height to prevent trapping air and creating unwanted bubbles. However, if bubbles do appear in the resin you can use a heat gun to gently warm the surface and release them.
LOOKING GOOD The appearance of resin can be altered in several ways, most often by the use of glitter or dyes. Glitter is a great way to add colour and sparkle, but you must be generous with the quantity or it will just sink to the bottom of
the resin. Dyes can be in the form of liquid colourants or pigment powders. Liquid colourants are available in opaque or transparent form and are ideally suited for use with epoxy and polyester resins. Be aware that only a drop is needed, as too much can ruin the mixing ratio and lead to the resin not curing. Pigment powders can be used with all types of resin and make it easy to mix shades – use them sparingly for a lovely shimmer effect or add more for an opaque finish. Resin also works well for embedding items. If you want to embed paper you can either print the images onto glossy photo paper or seal them with PVA glue or
spray varnish first. Sweets and sprinkles work well in resin, as do metal, plastic and fabric. However, if you want to embed a flower or insect, you will need to remove any moisture before adding it to the resin (this can be done by drying naturally or using silica gel). Cured resin can be buffed, sanded, filed and drilled. Bails can be glued on using a small amount of resin or epoxy glue. Alternatively, you can drill a hole into the pendant and attach a bail or thread cord this way. There is also a wide variety of bezels, pendant and ring blanks available, into which you can set resin to create jewellery components and finished pieces.
TIPS FOR USING RESIN If you have trouble releasing resin from a mould, pop it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. This will cause the resin to shrink back a little, making it easy to pop out of the mould Always mix resin slowly and pour it from as low down as possible to avoid trapping air For making precise amounts of resin, fill the mould with water and measure. Be sure to dry the mould thoroughly before using it again
Use a heat gun to remove bubbles from resin Try not to allow moulds to become scratched, as the scratches will transfer to the resin For optimal curing conditions, try putting resin in an airing cupboard – a warm and dry level surface produces the best results Use a plastic spoon instead of wooden stirring sticks as these will give you more control when pouring into moulds
WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd; www.mailorder-beads.co.uk; 0115 958 8899 www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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TECHNIQUE RESIN INTERGALACTIC POLKA NECKLACE TO CREATE Create a bail, as demonstrated in the wrapped pendant bail project, using the 0.6mm wire. Thread the following beads onto each eyepin: Air Blue opal, Cyclamen opal, a scratched bead and a Sapphire AB2x. Use round-nosed pliers to create a loop after the last bead on each eyepin. Trim off any excess. Open an 8mm jump ring and attach the pendant bail and two links, making sure that the Air Blue opal bead of each link is pointing towards the pendant.
intermediate
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3 WRAPPED BAIL FOR RESIN PENDANTS beginner
This is a simple technique to make a bail for pendants that are too wide for readymade bails.
MATERIALS • 0.6mm silver-plated wire • resin heart pendant
TOOLS • chain-nosed and round-nosed pliers • cutters
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TO CREATE Cut a length of silver-plated wire measuring 10-15cm. Thread the wire through the pendant hole and fold up each side, making sure one length is longer than the other. Cross the wires over and twist the shorter piece around the longer length – doing this slowly and carefully will ensure a tight, neat twist. Cut off the excess.
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Use round-nosed pliers to create a loop with the longer length of wire above the first loop. Gripping across the loop with your chain-nosed pliers, wrap the wire in the opposite direction to the first wrap so that the wires don’t overlap. Trim off any excess wire. Add the pendant to a necklace of your choice.
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Attach two more links on each side of the necklace using 8mm jump rings (ensure that all the links face the same way), with the Air Blue opal pointing towards the pendant. Cut the length of chain in half and attach the pieces to each end of your necklace using 8mm jump rings. To finish, attach the trigger clasp with a 6mm jump ring on one end and an 8mm jump ring on the other.
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MATERIALS • polka resin pendant • 6 x 12mm silver-plated round scratched beads • 6 x 4mm Air Blue Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 6 x 4mm Cyclamen Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 6 x 4mm Sapphire Swarovski Elements Xilion beads AB2x
• 0.6mm silver-plated wire • 8 x 8mm silver-plated jump rings • 6mm silver-plated jump ring • medium silver-plated trigger clasp • 6 x silver-plated eyepins • 20cm silver-plated medium curb chain
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MATERIALS 5
• • • • •
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GLITTERY STAR PENDANT TO CREATE Select the mould and glitter that you wish to use and make sure the room is well ventilated.
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Put on the rubber gloves and face mask and make up the resin according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir the mixture slowly to avoid trapping any air. Add glitter to the resin mixture, creating a thick, even, glittery consistency. Pour the glitter slowly into the mould – don’t pour from too high as this can create bubbles.
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resin mixing cups pendant bail epoxy glue sandpaper
• • • •
face mask rubber gloves glitter mould
intermediate
Using a spoon will ensure that you do not over-fill the mould. Leave to cure according to the instructions (usually for 24-48 hours). Once set, pop the resin out of the mould. Sand any rough edges gently with fine sandpaper. To finish, glue the bail onto the back of the pendant using epoxy glue.
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CBJ03 pp38-43 Resin Technique_Beading 25/05/2010 16:37 Page 42
TECHNIQUE RESIN RESIN ROSE CLUSTER NECKLACE
intermediate
TO CREATE Position the pendant hanger around the hole of the pendant and pinch it firmly with your fingers to close (you can use pliers but
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be careful not to damage the hanger). Thread the chain though the pendant hanger and attach the trigger clasp with a 6mm jump ring on one end, and an 8mm jump ring at the other end. Arrange the beads into four groups of
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MATERIALS • 2 x 6mm White Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 2 x 6mm Rose Water Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 2 x 5mm White Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 2 x 5mm Rose Water Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 4 x 4mm White Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 4 x 4mm Rose Water Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 8 x 4mm Cyclamen Opal Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • resin rose pendant
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• 45cm medium silverplated Figaro chain • medium silver-plated trigger clasp • 8mm silver-plated jump ring • 6mm silver-plated jump rings • 4 x 5mm silver-plated jump rings • 16 x silver-plated headpins • 1 x silver-plated hanger
TOOLS • round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers • cutters
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six, ensuring there is a good mix of colours in each group. Thread the grouped beads onto headpins and create loops with your round-nosed pliers. Each group is made up of four headpins with one
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or two beads on each headpin. Twist open the four 5mm jump rings with two pairs of pliers and gather each group of four headpins together to create the clusters. Leave the jump rings open for the next step.
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Attach the first two clusters to the chain, positioning them about 3cm from the centre on each side of the pendant. Add the other two clusters approximately 3cm along from the first two to finish.
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CBJ03 pp38-43 Resin Technique_Beading 25/05/2010 16:37 Page 43
TECHNIQUE RESIN UNLOCK MY HEART PENDANT
MATERIALS advanced
TO CREATE Choose your mould and the items that you wish to embed. Make sure the room is well ventilated. Wearing rubber gloves and a face mask, make up the resin according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pour a thin layer of resin into the mould (using a spoon will help ensure you don’t overfill the mould). Leave to set for eight hours. When the resin has partially set, position the item you want to embed face down. Be careful not to trap any air between the item and resin. Make a second batch of resin and add a small pinch of
1
pigment dye (more dye can be added for bolder shades). Slowly pour the mixture into the mould and leave to dry.
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When fully cured, pop the resin out of the mould and sand any rough edges. Secure the finished pendant in a clamp,
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protecting it on each side with tissue. Using a hand drill, create a hole for the bail. Add the bail and hang from a chain of your choice.
• • • • • • • •
resin pigment dye mixing cups wooden stirrers wire charms plastic spoon sandpaper
TOOLS • mould • drill • clamp
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BRILLIANT BEADS
wedding
TRACEY McPHERSON DESIGNER
ABOUT TRACEY… Tracey is the owner of Brilliant Beads, a high-street retail bead and jewellery shop located in beautiful Berwick upon Tweed on the Northumberland coast. Designing has been Tracey’s passion since a young age, and for the past six years she has been designing and selling her jewellery in Northumberland and Scotland. When she is not designing you’ll find Tracey busy in her bead shop, running jewellerymaking workshops and undertaking bespoke commissions for wedding jewellery and tiaras. Wedding workshops are also available, consisting of a full day’s tuition on making tiaras, hairpins, fascinators and even cake toppers! And Brilliant Beads will be introducing weekend break workshops from this summer for all those who dream of a getaway surrounded by beads and breathtaking countryside.
All the materials used here are available from Brilliant Beads, 2 Hide Hill, Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland TD15 1AB; www.brilliantbeads.co.uk; 01289 305333
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Get creative with wire, elegant crystals and a delicate explosion of colour for some dazzling designs, just perfect for weddings of almost any theme
DAZE
PEARLY HAIRPIN TO CREATE Cut 1m of wire.
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Thread the end of the wire through the top of the hairgrip and twist for 1cm to secure (see Fig 1). Wrap the wire around the top of the grip four times. Place three pearls approximately 3cm along the wire. Make them into a circle, wrap and twist wire back towards the top of the pin, and wind once (see Fig 2).
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Repeat Step 3 twice using pearls, then repeat twice more using crystals. Thread the three remaining crystals onto the wire. Wrap the wire around the tip
4 5 1
and each time you wrap it around, place a crystal at the front of the grip (see Fig 3). Finish off by wrapping your wire neatly at the base of this final crystal cluster.
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MATERIALS • • • •
28g wire hairgrip 9 x 6mm glass pearls 9 x 6mm glass crystals
TOOLS • wire cutters
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CBJ03 pp44-47 Store Brill Beads_Beading 25/05/2010 12:26 Page 45
BRILLIANT BEADS
MATERIALS • tiara frame • 22g non-tarnish wire • 30 x beads in various sizes 4-10mm
BEADED HAIR FASCINATOR TO CREATE Cut six 6” lengths of wire. Decide which side of the fascinator you want to start on. Starting with your first length of wire, wrap your wire tightly around the tiara frame three times, around 3” from the centre of the frame (see Fig 1). You will now be working back towards the centre of the frame. Repeat Step 2 with the other five wires (see Fig 2). Check all your wires are tight and not slipping on the frame. Run the nylon flat-nosed pliers along each wire in turn to straighten it out. Use wire cutters to cut the extra bits of wire that are sticking out where you start to wind the wire (see Fig 3). This makes your
1 2 3 4 5
wires look neat and avoids damage from sharp ends. Create your design on a bead mat or just choose beads at random. If you’re opting to work to a design, make six rows of beads with five in each row. Start with the first wire you wrapped. Place your first bead onto the wire and dab a small amount of glue onto the wire were you want to place the bead (see Fig 4). Position the next four beads, leaving varying gaps between them (see Fig 5). Glue each bead into place. This will be your first strand completed. Remember to place your last bead on the wire where you want it to be cut. Do not cut your wire at this stage.
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TOOLS Repeat Steps 7 and 8 with the remaining five wires. When all six strands have the beads glued onto them, leave for about an hour to fully set. After this time, gently test that there are no beads
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moving about and re-glue any that are loose. Bear in mind that heavier beads with bigger holes tend to take more glue and longer to set. Once you are happy that your beads are all set, trim
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• wire cutters • nylon pliers • Hypo Cement glue
the wires with a pair of wire cutters at the last bead on each wire (see Fig 6). Then gently move the strands to where you wish them to be placed.
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CBJ03 pp44-47 Store Brill Beads_Beading 25/05/2010 12:26 Page 46
BRILLIANT BEADS CRYSTAL STARBURST HAIRPIN TO CREATE Cut 1m of wire.
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Thread the end of the wire through the top of the hairgrip and twist for 1cm to secure. Wrap the wire around the top of the grip four times to secure. Thread on one crystal and, holding it approximately 2cm from the top of the hairgrip, twist the wire
back down to the top of the grip. Then wrap the wire around the hairgrip once. Repeat Step 3 a further four times so
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you have five crystal wires in total. Repeat Step 3 another four times, now varying the lengths of your crystal wires.
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Thread the remaining crystal onto the wire and place in the centre of the grip, wrap wire around and secure as shown.
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• wire cutters
CRYSTAL STARBURST PIN TOP TIPS
Try to use small beads when making this so it does not become too heavy Vary the lengths of the wires for an alternative look Use non-tarnish wire for a more professional finish Beaded pins can be attached to hats and jackets and are perfect for jazzing up a plain black handbag
MATERIALS
TOOLS • wire cutters
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• 10 x round faceted crystals • hairgrip • 28g wire
TOOLS
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• beaded silver-plated pin • 28g wire • selection of 4mm beads
MATERIALS
TO CREATE Follow the instructions for the Crystal Starburst Hairpin above.
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CBJ03 pp44-47 Store Brill Beads_Beading 25/05/2010 12:26 Page 47
BRILLIANT BEADS WRIST CORSAGE
MATERIALS • • • • •
28g wire silver-plated bracelet 6 x 10mm glass pearls 4 x 4mm glass pearls 6 x 6mm bicone crystals
TOOLS • nylon pliers • flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters
TO CREATE Cut 1m of wire.
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At the centre of the bracelet, wrap the wire tightly around it five times to secure. Start with the largest beads first – in this case the 10mm pearls. Attach each pearl to the bracelet as if you were making the hairpin on page 44.
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BEADED NAPKIN RING TO CREATE Cut a 12” length of 12g wire. Holding one end, straighten the wire by running the nylon pliers along it. Do this a few times, holding the pliers firmly. Wind the wire twice around the rolling pin (make sure the rolling pin handles are the same width as the pin so you can slide the ring off the end). Using the nylon pliers so as not to mark the wire, grip each end of the wire and curl around to make circles.
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Repeat Step 3 using four 4mm glass pearls. Repeat Step 3 using three of the 6mm bicone crystals. Thread the three remaining crystals onto the wire and wrap each crystal once around the centre of the bracelet. Secure the wire around the back of the bracelet.
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Cut a 10” length of 28g wire. Attach the wire to one of the loops. Thread six crystal beads onto the wire. Wrap each crystal around the loop to make a small bunch and secure the wire. Cut a 16” length of ribbon, thread it through the same loop that the crystals are on, and tie into a bow.
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MATERIALS • • • •
28g wire 12g wire 7 x crystal beads ½” organza ribbon
TOOLS • wire cutters • nylon flat-nosed pliers • rolling pin
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CRYSTAL VELVET
world cup KAREN CLARK DESIGNER
CUFFLINKS Love it or loathe it, the beautiful game heads to South Africa this summer for the World Cup. Support your team in style with these funky creations by Karen Clark
STRIPED FLAG CUFFLINKS
TO CREATE Kneed polymer clay until you achieve your desired colour. Using a rolling pin or pasta machine on a thick setting, make the clay into sheets, as seen in Fig 1 (left). Layer two sheets of clay on top of each other and press them tightly together. Using a blade cutter, slice away any excess clay to form a rectangle. Using a blade cutter, slice the rectangle in two vertically and stack the two halves on top of each other, continuing the pattern (Fig 2). Repeat this process until you have a stack approximately 4cm wide. Roll the stack with a rolling pin or through a pasta machine on a thick setting (Fig 3). Lay a cufflink onto the sheet of clay, making sure that it cuts right through (Fig 4). Repeat this process with another cufflink over a similarly patterned area (to make a matching pair).
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MATERIALS • polymer clay • milled-edge cufflink findings • sandpaper • jewellery glue • corn flour
TOOLS • blade cutter • pasta machine or rolling pin
Place in the fridge to harden. Using a blade cutter, shave off any excess clay and rub the surface of the cufflink with corn flour. Bake the cufflinks in the oven according to manufacturer’s instructions. Remove and leave to cool. Tap the cufflink on a hard surface so the disk of clay falls out. Sand with wet sandpaper and buff to a smooth finish. Scratch the inside of the cufflink finding and dust (Fig 5). Using jewellery glue, attach the clay disk into the cufflink, making sure that both disks are facing the same way (Fig 6). Leave to dry for 24 hours.
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CBJ03 pp48-49 World Cup Cufflink_Beading 25/05/2010 15:06 Page 49
CRYSTAL VELVET MATERIALS • white and red polymer clays • milled-edge cufflink findings • sandpaper • jewellery glue • blade cutter • past machine or rolling pin • corn flour
ENGLAND CUFFLINKS TO CREATE Kneed red and white polymer clay until you achieve your desired colours. Using a rolling pin or pasta
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machine on a thick setting, make the clay into sheets. Stack three layers of white clay on top of each other to form
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a rectangle, then cut into quarters. Lay one of the white quarters onto the red sheet and use the blade to insert it into the sheet. Take the second white quarter and add to the red and white piece to form a sandwich (white-redwhite). Repeat this process with the other white quarters. Press the clay firmly together and put in the fridge to harden. Cut two slices from the flag, making sure that they are similar. Place in the fridge to harden. Using a blade cutter, shave off any excess
3
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clay and rub the surface of the cufflink with corn flour. Bake the cufflinks in the oven according to manufacturer’s instructions. Remove and leave to cool. Tap the cufflink on a hard surface so the disk of clay falls out. Sand with wet sandpaper and buff to a smooth finish. Scratch the inside of the cufflink finding and dust. Using jewellery glue, attach the clay disk into the cufflink, making sure that both disks are facing the same way. Leave to dry for 24 hours.
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WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from Crystal Velvet, 4, Nunnery Walk, South Cave, Brough, East Yorkshire, HU15 2JA; 01430 421477; www.crystalvelvet.co.uk For more information visit www.beadsbydesign.co.uk
GREECE CUFFLINKS TO CREATE Kneed white and blue polymer clay until you achieve your desired colours (take extra care achieving the correct Greekflag blue). Using a rolling pin or pasta machine on a thick setting, make the clay into sheets. Layer the white and light blue sheets of clay on top of each other and press them tightly together. Using a blade cutter, slice away any excess clay to form a rectangle. Using a blade cutter, slice the rectangle in two vertically and stack the two halves on top of each other, continuing the pattern. Repeat this process until you have a stack
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approx 4cm wide. Roll the stack with a rolling pin or through a pasta machine on a thick setting. Using the white clay offcuts, form a block of white and cut into quarters. Using the light blue clay offcuts, form a sheet. Follow the instructions in the England cufflinks above to make a cross (as seen in the top lefthand corner of the Greek flag). Squash the cross section until it is about a quarter of the size of your cufflink cup and slice two sections from it. Cut the striped sheet in half and lay the small cross onto the right-hand corner of each one.
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Cut around the cross, lift up, cut out the striped piece and place the cross into the space, smoothing the joint. Lay a cufflink onto the sheet of clay, making sure that it cuts right through. Repeat this process with another cufflink over a similarly patterned area (to make a matching pair). Place in the fridge to harden. Using a blade cutter, shave off any excess clay and rub the surface of the cufflink with corn flour. Bake the cufflinks in the oven according to manufacturer’s instructions. Remove and leave to cool.
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Tap the cufflink on a hard surface so the disk of clay falls out. Sand with wet sandpaper and buff to a smooth finish. Scratch the inside of the cufflink finding and dust. Using jewellery glue, attach the clay disk into the cufflink, making sure that both disks are
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facing the same way. Leave aside to dry for 24 hours.
MATERIALS • white and blue polymer clays • milled-edge cufflink findings • sandpaper • jewellery glue • blade cutter • past machine or rolling pin • corn flour
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BEAD DOCTOR
bead DOCTOR Got a beading query or a jewellery dilemma? Ask our expert Carolyn Shulz for the answers ...with Carolyn Schulz ABOUT CAROLYN… Carolyn has been involved in almost every aspect of the craft industry for the last 25 years. She started out as a hobbyist, making her own creations at home and selling them at craft fairs and to local specialty stores. Carolyn went on to write several books and became the editor of three UK craft magazines. Beads played an important part in two of Carolyn’s books and over the last 20 years she has unintentionally become an expert at teaching jewellerymaking techniques! In addition to private courses and personal tuition, she teaches creative jewellery at West Herts College and also writes a regular column for the largest craft magazine in the US, Creative Home Arts. For the last six years, Carolyn has served on the board of the Craft and Hobby Association, an international trade association for the creative industry. Although born and educated in California, Carolyn lives here in the UK but flies across the Atlantic 8-10 times a year. As a result, she is acquainted with the styles and trends both in the US and Europe.
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STRAIGHT TALKING I have recently started experimenting with wirework, which I love. However, I am wasting so much wire because I can’t get the kinks out of it when I make a mistake. Please can you tell me the best way to make my wire straight again. Jennifer Humphries, Cambs
CAROLYN SAYS... There are several solutions that could help you, Jennifer. A quick but temporary fix is to used flat-nosed pliers. Simply cover the inside jaws of the pliers with a soft cloth and, as you pull the wire through the jaws, it will help to
PRECIOUS METAL Someone told me that if you use silver clay it has to be hallmarked. Can you tell me if this is true please and how to go about it? Megan, Wadebridge
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straighten out bends and kinks. A better option is a pair of wirestraightening pliers (also known as nylonjaw pliers), which have jaws made of hard nylon. You can straighten any bends or kinks in your wire by pulling it through the clamped jaws. This is a good investment for your jewellery-making kit because it can also be used to hold, shape or bend wire without marking the metal. However, remember that each time you pull wire through straightening pliers, you are work-hardening it (making it more brittle) and therefore making it more difficult to
manipulate – so don’t over-do it! Another useful item for working with wire is a reasonably new product to the market called Tool Magic, which prevents tools from marring and scratching wire designs. You just dip your tools into the thick paste-like material and, after drying (preferably leave overnight), it makes the surface of pliers soft and smooth. Once used, it peels off easily without damaging your
tools. Tool Magic is available for £7.95 from www.beadshop scotland.co.uk.
CAROLYN SAYS...
criminal offence to call it precious metal, silver, fine silver or sterling silver. To hallmark something means that you send it to a UK Assay Office, where they check that it is the quality you claim it is. They then apply the quality mark, as well as a maker’s mark (your initials or part of your company name). In some cases, a date mark is also added. It is against the law to sell or describe precious metal articles in the UK if not hallmarked and above the weight exemptions. Trading Standards Officers have the power to
seize any items that do not comply with the 1973 Hallmarking Act (www.tinyurl.com/ hmarkact), which can lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £5,000 per article. If you make silver jewellery – whether this is with metal clay or traditional silver like wire or jump rings – you should register with one of the Assay Offices and seek their advice. For smaller items, Silverclay sells a quality stamp, which is a great tool for when you want to tell a customer that the piece is made from fine silver – though please note that this is not the same as a hallmark.
Petra Cameron from www.silverclay.co.uk told me that, in the UK, the law says you must hallmark any piece of silver that you sell if it weighs over 7.78gm. If you don’t hallmark it, it is a
CBJ03 pp50 Bead Doc_Beading 25/05/2010 17:04 Page 51
BEAD DOCTOR SILVER SHINE I really like working with silver but it tarnishes all the time. Is there anything I could use to slow down the process or any tips you can give me at all? Hayley, Coventry
CAROLYN SAYS... There is a great product on the market called Midas Tarnish Shield that helps reduce discolouration and oxidation on silver (as well as gold and gold plate). It does not affect solderability and is safe to use with stones. You just immerse the silver piece for 10 minutes, then rinse and dry. There are other products that can help to prevent pieces from
CZECH MATE Please can you tell me what Czech glass beads are and what the difference is between them and other glass beads? Melanie, Essex
CAROLYN SAYS... Czech beads are renowned for the high grade of glass used, which gives them a strong consistent colour and a high-quality finish. Well known examples of Czech glass beads include fire-polished beads,
tarnishing, such as 3M Tarni-Shield Strips and Tabs. These speciallytreated strips and tabs can be put into a sealed bag with the jewellery piece and they will protect it for up to six months. There are also Tarnish-guard bags, which are specially treated to absorb and neutralise sulfide vapours in an enclosed environment, eliminating the risk of tarnish. The bags will protect your silver from corrosion for a minimum of 12 months and, as a bonus, are made from environmentally friendly nitrate-free plastic. handmade lamp beads, crystal bicones, seed beads, bugle beads and small pressed glass beads, which often feature shapes such as flowers and leaves. I found a wide selection of Czech glass beads at www.creativebead craft.co.uk.
MUM’S THE WORD
CAROLYN SAYS...
I want to make a present for my mum and mother-in-law to give them on our wedding day. Any ideas? My mum is very traditional when it comes to jewellery but my soon-to-be motherin-law is a bit more adventurous. Anna, Derbyshire
What a lovely idea to make a special present for your mum and mother-in-law-tobe! I think it would be nice to give them something that will help them remember your special day, so my suggestion is that you make a bracelet and add a photo frame charm that
PERFECTLY PAINTED Could you please advise me about painting clay beads. What would be the best paints to use? Helen Mortensen, Bedford
CAROLYN SAYS... I would say that acrylic paints and
HIGH GLOSS I really liked the article on paper beads in issue 1 of Creative Beads & Jewellery and was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about Glossy Accents. Is this the same thing you use in cardmaking? Dorothy, Ipswich
CAROLYN SAYS... It is indeed the same thing you use in cardmaking. Glossy Accents is wonderfully
QUICK FIX
varnish are best for painting clay beads. And, if you want a fabulous high sheen for your beads, I suggest their metallic equivalents. There are many different effects that you can experiment with such as sponging paints onto beads. Spots are also easy to paint by
versatile and suitable Accents to produce for a whole host of stylish resin-like applications. It comes embellishments! in liquid form and, once set, forms a hard, clear layer with a If yo high-gloss sheen. Su questio u have a n for Ca Pennick’s paper beads rolyn, em article in CB&J01 beaddo ail it to c tor demonstrated how publish @practical ing.co.u well Glossy Accents k o works as a clear Bead D r write to & Jewe octor, Creativ varnish and as a Court, A llery, Unit 1 Ae Beads hardening agent. dling dlin Maccle ton Business gton Be sure to look sfield, C Park, out for CB&J04, SK10 4 heshire NL Dorothy, when we will be using Glossy
I recently decorated a pair of jeans for my 26-year-old niece (which she loved) and embellished a cushion for myself (which I love!) with flat-backed rhinestones. For both these projects I used
Appliglue, which is a strong, washable acrylic glue that has been tried and tested! Also very popular and readily available on the market are ‘hot-fix’ rhinestones with the Swarovski hot-fix gems being particularly sought-after because of the quality of their bling. They are great for personalising jeans, shoes, purses, mobile phones and other accessories, as well as for home décor items such as boxes,
could hold a picture of you and your partner on your wedding day. Perhaps you could use memory wire or chain maille? You can then make each bracelet to suit the taste in style and colour of the person for whom it is intended. I found gorgeous two-sided heart-shaped charms
at www.925silver charms.co.uk for just £7.50. They also have small square frames from £8.50. You’ve inspired me to make one for a dear friend’s daughter, for her 21st birthday. Thank you, Anna!
Can you tell me the best way to attach flat-backed gems to clothing and home décor items? Chloe, Halifax
CAROLYN SAYS...
dabbing the paint on using the handle end of a paintbrush! Or why not try to create a marble effect? Simply squirt two or more acrylic colours into a foil tray, lightly stir (not to mix the colours together but to create layers of colour), then roll your beads through the paint.
clocks and lampshades. Using a Kandi Kane Professional Hot Fix Applicator is the easiest way to attach hot-fix gems for a professional finish. It has eight precision tips, as well as a cleaning brush, and has an integrated on-off switch. Appliglue and the Kandi Kane Professional Hot Fix Applicator are both available from www.creativebead craft.co.uk.
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GIVEAWAYS 7-STRAND SILVER BEADING WIRE
SILVER FINDINGS SET 6 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £8.97 EACH
12 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £2.50 EACH
Win these findings sets donated by Craftime (www.craftime.com; 01623 722828), which include clasps, jump rings and earring findings.
12m length of 0.3mm silver 7-strand nylon-coated beading wire donated by do crafts (www.docrafts.co.uk).
THE CRAFT FACTORY BEAD SETS 4 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £9.90 EACH You’ll find a great range of beads in these sets from The Craft Factory, including metallic, pearlescent, shaped and lampwork varieties. For stockists email crafts@stockistenquiries.co.uk or call 01453 883581.
GIVEAWAYS
Over £250 worth of prizes to be won!
MAKING TIARAS & DESIGNER JEWELLERY CD-ROM BOOKS 5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £10 EACH Make your own beaded tiara with matching designer necklace and earrings for weddings, special parties and more in this CD-ROM book. Learn the techniques needed to create six stunning tiara and jewellery designs with beads and wire in the second CD-ROM book by Jema Hewitt. www.rainbowdisks.com; 01392 250240
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TO ENTER For your chance to win one of these great prizes, send your name and address on a postcard, along with the name of the product you want to win, to: CB&J03 Giveaways, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 9th July 2010
BEADS UNLIMITED COMPETITION ENTER NOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN! One lucky reader has the chance to walk away with £75 worth of Beads Unlimited (www.beadsunlimited.co.uk) prizes this issue. Beads Unlimited opened its flagship retail outlet, The Brighton Bead Shop, in 1986 and has gone from strength to strength ever since, specialising in a great range of beads, findings, tools and accessories to cover your every jewellery and beading need. This fabulous prize includes everything you could need as a new jewellery maker, plus a great range of beading products for the more seasoned artisan! Within the prize you’ll find a selection of jewellery books, beads, findings, tools, the Beads Unlimited catalogue and the ever-useful Guide to Bead Jewellery Making.
Exclusive Reader Offer! Bead Skills with Karen Howard DVD Have you ever wanted a bead expert by your side to tutor and talk you through beading projects? A professional to explain the many techniques and methods of beading? Someone to show and demonstrate creative ideas for bracelets, earrings, necklaces, wedding favours and much more? Well now you can, with this fantastic Bead Skills DVD!
ONLY £19H.F9R9EE! WIT POSTAGE
FEATURES: ● Learn professional beading techniques used by the experts. ● Basic to advanced skills covered. ● Includes patterns for original designs. ● How to use templates to create your own designs. ● How to choose the right materials. ● Easy-to-follow tutorials and beading projects.
BRAND NEW DVD
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KILN BEADS MICROWAVE KILN
JUDITH HANNINGTON DESIGNER
pal glass is used here as the base for creating a solid backdrop for the paper seahorse, while transparent glass forms the top layers to achieve a glossy mirrored finish. The seahorse shape is made with a standard papercrafting punch and the paper used is Bullseye fusible paper with a ‘splatter’ finish, which lends a light textural appearance to the fused image. The Bullseye papers
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are simple to use and can be punched or hand-cut and then sandwiched between glass layers before firing. There are just two simple rules to follow when using the paper – leave a small gap all around between the edge of the paper and the glass, and leave an air space between the glass layers through which gases can escape during firing. This is achieved with tiny pieces of stringer or frit, either clear or
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COOKING? of a colour to match your sheet glass (they will completely fuse into the glass on firing). Glass glue will come in handy to ensure the stringer spacers stay put until the glass is fully fused; simply apply a little glue to the corners of the glass surface, then position the stringer pieces and leave the glue to dry fully before adding the top layers of glass and firing the piece. Gluing the stringers in position will make your stack
more stable when transporting the kiln to the microwave. I have achieved best results with fusible papers (especially with delicate punched shapes like the seahorse here) by heating the glass in the microwave kiln
TOP TIP
Judith Hannington puts a microwave kiln through its paces and creates a water-drop pendant with a tiny punched seahorse image fused into its centre
what’s on a medium heat for a few minutes before ‘cooking’ on high to fully fuse the pendant. Bear in mind also that timings will vary from oven to oven depending on the power output so experimentation is the key to success.
Fusible paper is available in a range of colours but remember you can always change the appearance of the paper by carefully considering the colour of the glass you fuse over it
CBJ03 pp54-55 What's Cookin_Beading 25/05/2010 12:28 Page 55
KILN BEADS MICROWAVE KILN 1
MATERIALS • Teal Green 2mm Bullseye opal glass • Turquoise Blue 2mm Bullseye transparent glass • Clear 2mm Bullseye transparent glass • Flamingo Bullseye fusible paper • clear 2mm stringer • silver pendant bail • blue 1mm beading cord • silver coil cone ends • lobster clasp • glass fusing glue • epoxy glue
TOOLS • • • • • • •
Fuseworks Microwave Kiln microwave oven glass cutter EK Success Seahorse punch chain-nosed pliers glass breaking pliers glass grinding machine (optional)
TO CREATE Cut an 18x22mm piece from each of the three sheets of glass. The opal base glass can be cut slightly smaller and its corners grinded round as shown (this gives the pendant a smoother finish on the corners but is not essential). Punch the seahorse image from the fusible paper and position it centrally on the surface of the opal glass. Add a tiny dab of
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glue to each corner of the glass. Use breaking pliers to snap tiny discs of glass from a clear stringer and place one piece on the glue at each corner to act as spacers. Set aside until the glue is dry. Now stack the transparent blue and the clear glass over the opal glass on a piece of kiln paper on your kiln base. Ensure that all the pieces are aligned centrally. Place the kiln in your microwave oven and position the lid on top. Fire the piece so that the glass is fully fused. Once the oven has cooled and the glass is cold, wash any kiln paper residue from the back of the pendant and use epoxy glue to attach the bail to the pendant. Leave the glue to cure according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cut two lengths of beading cord to the desired length and fix on a coil end to fasten the two lengths together. Use chainnosed pliers to squeeze
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the wire end of the coil tight against the cords to secure. Thread your pendant onto the cords, then fix a second coil to the other end of the cords and attach a lobster clasp to the coil loop.
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TOP TIPS
STEP BY STEP
Remember, when purchasing glass and stringers, to ensure they are all the same CoE (Coefficient of Expansion) for compatibility Avoid getting glass glue on your paper shape as this may cause air bubbles to form inside the glass pendant
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WHERE TO BUY Fuseworks products can be purchased from www.madcowbeads.com All the glass used here, including the clear stringer, plus the fusible paper and glass glue is available from www.warm-glass.co.uk For beading cord, findings and jewellery pliers visit www.beadshopscotland.co.uk www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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BEADSISTERS
you’ve got SARAH AUSTIN DESIGNER
ABOUT SARAH… Sarah’s love of chain maille began with her interest in medieval history, which led her onto starting her own maille shirt. This was abandoned when she discovered coloured jump rings and the fact that you can use chain maille to make jewellery! Sarah runs Beadsisters with her husband, Steve.
MAILLE!
Helm’s weave is a good chain maille weave for the beginner. Using coloured jump rings and linking the chain in different ways gives huge variety to a simple weave, as Sarah Austin reveals HELM’S WEAVE CUFF
TO CREATE Open one silver ring (D) and link two closed rings (A). Repeat with a second silver ring (D). Open one turquoise ring (B) and attach two more closed silver rings (A). Link the turquoise ring to the last two silver rings (A) added in the previous step. Add a second turquoise ring. Take one open ring (A) and thread it between the two silver rings (A) added in Step 1 so that you encircle the two turquoise rings (B) as shown in Fig 1. Fold back the rings attached on only one side. Close the open ring (A). Return the folded-back rings over this new inner ring. Open one bright blue ring (C) and attach two more closed silver rings (A). Link to the last two silver rings (A) of your chain. Add
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a second blue ring. Repeat Steps 2 and 3, alternating with turquoise and bright blue rings until your chain reaches the required length, and
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finishing with two silver rings (D). Make a second chain the same length, starting with bright blue rings (C) in Step 2 instead of the
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turquoise rings. To join the two chains, link two silver rings (D) to each corresponding pair of silver outer rings
(A) as shown in Fig 2. Open the pairs of silver rings at the ends of the chain and attach your clasp.
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MATERIALS • two-strand tube clasp • 142 x non-tarnish silver enamelled copper jump rings, id 5mm, 0.81mm (A) • 48 x turquoise enamelled copper jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (B) • 48 x bright blue enamelled copper
jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (C) • 56 x non-tarnish silver enamelled copper jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (D)
TOOLS • 2 x chain-nosed or flat-nosed pliers
CBJ03 pp56-57 Store Bead Sister_Beading 25/05/2010 12:41 Page 57
BEADSISTERS MATERIALS • 99 x non-tarnish silver enamelled copper jump rings, id 5mm, 0.81mm (A) • 24 x turquoise enamelled copper jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (B) • 24 x bright blue enamelled copper jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (C) • 54 x non-tarnish silver enamelled copper jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (D) • 50cm Genya 2mm imitation leather cord • 2 x fold-over cord ends and clasp • ear wires
TOOLS • 2 x chain-nosed or flat-nosed pliers • glue
TO CREATE Make a helm’s weave chain by following Steps 1-4 of the Cuff on page 56. The small linking rings
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should be connected in the following order: D, C, B, C, D, B, C, B. Repeat the colour sequence twice. Lay your chain out in a straight line and remove the first silver rings (D) from the start of the chain. At each pair of silver rings (D) make your chain double back on itself until you have a small square. Join each of the corresponding pairs of outer rings (A) with two silver rings (D) as shown in Fig 1 above. You will need to pick up the chain to close all your connecting rings, then reposition the chain into its ‘square’ shape again. Connect two silver rings (A) to one corner of the square and thread onto your cord. Cut the cord to
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HELM’S WEAVE DIAMOND PENDANT AND EARRINGS 1
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the required length and attach your cord ends, using glue for extra security, and your clasp. To create the matching earrings
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HELM’S WEAVE FLOWER EARRINGS
Note: These are a little trickier to make than the cuff and diamond shapes, which are more suitable for novices.
follow Steps 1-3 and connect the small linking rings in the following order: D, C, B. Repeat the colour sequence three times.
TO CREATE Make a helm’s weave chain following Steps 1-4 of the Cuff on page 56, using alternately three pairs of turquoise (B) and two pairs of bright blue (C) rings. Remove the silver rings (D) at the start of the chain but do not join into a circle. Close a turquoise ring (B). With one open silver ring (E), link the closed turquoise ring (B) and one inner ring of your chain. You are joining
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MATERIALS • ear wires • 52 x non-tarnish silver enamelled copper jump rings, id 5mm, 0.81mm (A) • 14 x turquoise enamelled copper jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (B) • 12 x bright blue enamelled copper jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (C)
• 16 x non-tarnish silver enamelled copper jump rings, id 3.2mm, 0.81mm (D) • 12 x non-tarnish silver enamelled copper jump rings, id 2.4mm, 0.81mm (E)
TOOLS • 2 x chain-nosed or flat-nosed pliers
Connect two silver rings (D) to one corner of the square and attach an ear wire. Repeat to make a second earring.
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the single ring of the helm’s weave rather than the pairs of rings as in the other projects. Repeat until each inner ring is attached to the turquoise ring (B). Link one silver ring (E) to the centre ring (B). Join your helm’s weave chain with two bright blue rings (C). Thread one silver ring (A) between the two pairs of rings on each side of the bright blue rings just added, as in the helm’s weave pattern. Make sure you also link the silver ring (A) through the silver ring (E) added in Step 3 (see Fig 1, left). Close the silver ring (A). From one single ring (A) of the flower, make a short helm’s weave chain using only silver rings and attach to an ear wire. Now repeat Steps 1-5 to create your matching earring.
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MASTERCLASS LAMPWORK
red hot
SALLY CARVER DESIGNER
Sally Carver creates some more fabulous pieces in the second instalment of our lampwork series
ABOUT SALLY… Sally Carver has been making glass beads since 1999 after seeing a jewellery-making book by chance. The thrill of discovering that it was possible to make glass beads at home was so powerful that she changed career completely and began to make glass beads professionally. She now teaches others to make lampwork glass beads and also makes her own beads and jewellery under the name Redhotsal.
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BEADS
CBJ03 pp58-61 Lampwork Part II_Beading 25/05/2010 17:57 Page 59
MASTERCLASS LAMPWORK 2
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LAMPWORK CABOCHON RING intermediate
TO CREATE A LAMPWORK CABOCHON (ABOVE) TO CREATE Heat a 2.4mm mandrel strongly on the dipped tip until it glows orange. Form a small gather on the end of a red
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glass rod and touch this on the tip of the mandrel until it sticks. Take care not to overlap the mandrel by any more than 2mm. Continue to wind on the glass to form a disc. Don’t worry if you don’t succeed at first – it is tricky and will get easier with practice. Stop when your disc is about 12mm across. Using the mini mashers, gently flatten the disc (take care not to mash too hard or you will pull the disc off the mandrel). Apply heat
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Visit our website at www.practicalpublishing.co.uk for the step-by-step guide (featured in issue 2 of the magazine) to making and decorating a lampwork bead, plus all the top tips and safety information you need to get started.
and coax everything into a flat, smooth disc shape. Apply a little decoration to the front of the disc – I’ve used a spiral of twisted turquoise. If you want to make a flowershaped cabochon, add six evenlyspaced dots around the rim of the disc. Let them melt in a little and then squeeze them individually with the mashers. To finish, add little dots between the petals.
MATERIALS • Red, Turquoise, Orange and Violet Effetre glass • medium 2.4mm steel mandrels (coated with Fusion Bead Release) • fine grade wet and dry sandpaper • two-part epoxy resin cement • silver-plated adjustable ring blank
TOOLS • mini mashers or flat-ended tweezers
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TOP TIP
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Never make glass beads without taking proper safety precautions. Clear your surroundings of anything flammable and make sure you have good ventilation before you light your torch. Don’t forget to wear goggles and never touch the beads when they’re hot
WHERE TO BUY TO MAKE THE RING When you remove the cabochon from the end of the mandrel the back may be a little rough. You need a level surface in order to attach the ring blank, so wet some of the sandpaper and rub the
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back of the cabochon until it is flat. The matt finish that the paper gives will also help the cement to stick. Mix some two-part epoxy cement according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
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Apply a drop of cement to the cabochon and attach the ring blank. Leave aside to dry (if you place the cabochon ring-side-up on a lump of plasticine you can position the ring without it slipping as it dries).
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Bead-making lessons and educational DVDs are available from Sally Carver at Redhotsal Designs. For more information call 01455 440361, visit www.redhotsal.co.uk or email redhotsal@lampworkbeads.co.uk The glass and equipment used is available from Hamilton Taylor; 0141 4290102, Off-Mandrel; www.off-mandrel.com, Glassworks; www.glassworks.be, and Plowden & Thompson; www.plowdenthompson.co.uk; 01384 393398 www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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CBJ03 pp58-61 Lampwork Part II_Beading 25/05/2010 18:00 Page 60
MASTERCLASS LAMPWORK 1
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LAMPWORK LARIAT intermediate
TO CREATE A LONG BICONE BEAD Begin by pulling stringers from the Triton. You will need two 30cm lengths for all the beads in this project. Make the stringer about 2mm thick. With long beads it can be difficult to get the ends neat – an easy way to do this is to make two little beads to define the ends and then fill in the middle. Start the first bead using Dark Ivory glass at a point on
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TO MAKE THE LARIAT Start with a long length of cord – I allowed about 140cm. Tie a knot in one end and slip on a brass-
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the bead release about 4cm from the free end of the mandrel. Form a small central bead and then make another about 3cm apart, as seen in Fig 1 (above). Try to make these identical. Keep flashing each bead in the flame to prevent cracking and keep flash heating the two beads while you form a large gather of Ivory glass on the rod with your other hand. When you have a goodsized gather (about 2cm across), ‘dump’ the gather in the space between the two beads, turning the mandrel as you go (Fig 2). Using your marver, start to roll the
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effect spacer, a lampwork bicone and another spacer. Tie another knot immediately after to hold everything in place. (If you find tying
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gather into a cylindrical shape. Try not to heat the two guide beads so that they go soft – you want to use these beads as a rolling guide to shape the middle section (Fig 3). Gradually the glass will come into contact with the guide beads and join up (Fig 4). You can add more glass if necessary, but keep going until you have one smooth bead. Try not to heat the ends too much or they will lose their neat shape. Try to make a smooth transition with no creases (Fig 5). You can also angle the marver a little if you wish to taper the ends down.
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knots in the right place fiddly try holding the knot in place with a cocktail stick – this is a great way to adjust the knot position.)
Allow the bead to become stiff and heat so that it is ‘sticky’ hot so the stringer won’t slide off when you apply it. Take your Triton stringer, gently heat the end until it glows and then immediately touch this onto the bead at the top of the flame. Hold the stringer like a pencil and continue to push it gently onto the bead. You will find that this works better if you move the bead rather than the stringer. Decorate the bead – scrolls (as applied in Fig 6) are fairly difficult but dots and simple lines are easy and look effective.
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Measure approximately 3cm, tie another knot and thread on a brass spacer, a round lampwork bead and another brass spacer. Tie another knot to secure. Repeat this process with another round lampwork bead a further 3cm apart and then repeat the whole process at the other end of the lariat.
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Melt the stringer in a little so it doesn’t pop off after the bead is cooled – this is especially important for beads that aren’t going straight into a kiln. Let the bead cool for a few seconds, then turn the oxygen control down a little on your dual gas torch so that the flame becomes yellow and bushy (Fig 7). If you are using a hothead torch, make a collar of silver foil that you can slip over the holes of the hothead (taking care not to burn yourself). This will cut out the oxygen in the hothead. The aim here is to make a flame that reduces the Triton. Waft the bead in and out of the reducing flame quickly until you see a metallic lustre appear, as in Fig 8. Don’t allow the stringer to glow – reduction is a chemical reaction, not a thermal one. When the bead is nicely metallised put it in the kiln or vermiculite. Repeat this process again for the other focal bead and make four more round beads with stringer decoration.
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MATERIALS • Dark Ivory Effetre glass • Double Helix Triton stringer glass • medium 2.4mm steel mandrels (coated with Fusion Bead Release) • marver for shaping bead • wax-coated cotton thread • antique brass finish beads (I used two focal bicone shaped lampwork beads and four round lampwork beads)
CBJ03 pp58-61 Lampwork Part II_Beading 25/05/2010 18:01 Page 61
MASTERCLASS LAMPWORK
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WIRE CROCHET
over the MARNIE FOOT DESIGNER
WAVES
Using coloured wires and beads and the traditional techniques of knitting and crochet, Marnie Foot has created beautiful pieces of woven jewellery with movement and depth
ABOUT MARNIE… Marnie lives with her husband and two daughters (plus one dog, eight chickens, four ducks and three cats) on a smallholding in Carmarthenshire in West Wales. Having retired from a career in IT, she now enjoys creating unique pieces of jewellery using traditional techniques she was taught as a child by her mother and grandmother. See the website at www.green feetcrafts.co.uk for more of her work.
MATERIALS • 2m Supagreen 0.315mm enamelled copper wire • 60 x assorted beads of varying sizes I used: • 6 x 6mm Crystal Clear Swarovski AB bicones • 5 x 4mm turquoise Swarovski bicones • 3 x 4mm pale bronze Swarovski bicones • 6 x bronze round seed beads (size 6) • 5 x pale turquoise round seed beads (size 6) • 5 x matt turquoise round seed beads (size 6) • 9 x lime green round seed beads (size 8) • 5 x clear lined blue round seed beads (size 6) • 6 x matt turquoise round seed beads (size 8) • 5 x clear lined silver round seed beads (size 8) • 5 x clear gold round seed beads (size 6) • sterling silver pendant bail • 16” sterling silver snake chain
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his pendant and the matching earrings have been created, using craft wire and assorted beads, to represent the colour and movement of water. I think the light reflecting from the piece creates the effect of looking into the sea on a sunny day. You could use any combination of colours of wire and beads to create quite different effects using this pattern. Just see where your imagination carries you...
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CROCHETED WIRE PENDANT TO CREATE Thread 60 beads onto the wire in a random order, making sure that no two beads the same are next to each other. The beads will be used in groups of 10 across the pendant so you also need to ensure that each group of 10 beads is not identical or you will end up with a row of the same beads up the
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1 TOOLS • 1.75mm steel crochet hook (plastic and wooden hooks are not strong enough for working with wire) • side cutters • narrow-ended pliers
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length of the pendant. Cast on row (Row 1) – make a slip knot in the end of the wire, place it onto the crochet hook and, using standard crochet techniques, make a chain of 10 stitches in the wire as shown in Fig 1. Turn your work round so that the last chain stitch (ch st) from Row 1 is now at the right-hand side of the row. Bead row (Row 2) – make one ch st, then feed the crochet hook back through the
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last stitch on the previous row, pull a bead up the wire and drop it in place next to the loop. Complete the single crochet stitch (sc) by putting the wire over the hook and drawing a loop through the stitch, putting the wire over the hook again and drawing it through both loops on the hook. This is the first stitch in your bead row. Repeat (see Fig 2) nine times so that you now have 10 beads stitched in place. This is the right side of the pendant. Turn. Plain row (Row 3) – make one ch st, then 10 sc (without beads) to the end of the row, as shown in Fig 3. Repeat Rows 2 and 3 four times (see Fig 4). Crochet one further bead row then, leaving approximately 2” of spare wire on the pendant, cut the wire and pull the last stitch through the loop on the needle. Your finished pendant will look distorted and the beads all appear in rows so
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CBJ03 pp62-63 Crochet Wire_Beading 25/05/2010 12:24 Page 63
WIRE CROCHET
WHERE TO BUY The beads and findings used in these projects are available from Serendipity Beads; www.serendipity-beads.co.uk; 01269 832238, Jewels by the Sea; 01792 234001, and www.jillybeads.co.uk
MATERIALS • 0.5m Supagreen 0.315mm enamelled copper wire • 18 x assorted beads of varying sizes (9 for each earring) I used: • 2 x 6mm Crystal Clear Swarovski AB bicones • 2 x 4mm turquoise Swarovski bicones • 2 x bronze round seed beads (size 6)
• 2 x matt turquoise round seed beads (size 6) • 2 x lime green round seed beads (size 8) • 2 x clear lined blue round seed beads (size 6) • 2 x matt turquoise round seed beads (size 8) • 2 x clear lined silver round seed beads (size 8)
• 2 x clear gold round seed beads (size 6) • sterling silver fish-hook ear wires
you now need to spend some time pulling it into shape and moving the beads so they are more randomly spaced. Don’t be afraid you will damage your pendant by being too rough with it when you manipulate it – it will be stronger than you think! Finish off the loose ends of wire at the top and bottom of the pendant by weaving them in and out of the piece, finally threading them through a bead and cutting off the wire close to the edge of the bead (see Fig 5).
You can secure the loose end of wire in the bead with a dab of clear nail varnish if you wish. Attach the pendant bail to the centre of the top row of the pendant and add the snake chain to complete.
the wire. Leaving a 2” tail of wire, make a slip knot in the wire and place it onto the crochet hook. Make one ch st.
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TO CREATE Using nine different beads, thread four small beads then one 6mm crystal AB bicone, then another four small beads, onto
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Scientific Wire Company wire is available from www.wires.co.uk
• 1.75mm steel crochet hook (plastic and wooden hooks are not strong enough for working with wire) • side cutters • narrow-ended pliers
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Pull a bead up the wire and drop it next to the loop on your hook. Make one ch st. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 three times. The large crystal bicone bead should now be in the stitch next to your crochet hook. This will be the bottom bead in your earring. The next stitches will now be worked going
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Crochet hooks are available from In’Stitches; 01558 822282, or any good knitting supplies shop
back up the earring to the slip knot. Make one ch st, turn, then make a sc stitch with a bead into the ch st holding the last small bead. Make a sc in the next stitch up. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 three times. Insert your hook into the slip knot at the top of the earring, put the wire round the hook and draw the wire through both loops. Leave approximately 2” of wire for a tail and cut the wire with a pair of side cutters.
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Repeat Steps 1-8 using the same nine beads in the same order if you want your earrings to be identical (see Fig 6). To complete the earrings, attach a sterling silver fish-hook wire to each crocheted piece by threading both wire tails through the loop on the ear wire, folding it over the loop, then winding both wires round the wire up to the edge of your crochet stitches. Cut the wire close to the work and, using the pliers, gently flatten the cut edges into the wire coil.
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CROCHETED WIRE EARRINGS
TOOLS
Standard simple crochet stitches are used in the making of both the pendant and earrings. The following crochet terms have been used in the pattern: sc – single crochet ch st – chain stitch
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63
THE BEAD SHOP MANCHESTER
EMILY KERSH DESIGNER
summer NIGHTS
Emily Kersh creates a stunning turquoise and crystal necklace, just perfect for adding a touch of summertime glamour
MATERIALS • turquoise 6mm semiprecious rondelle beads • 12 x turquoise 18mm semi-precious rice beads • turquoise 16mm semiprecious coin beads • white turquoise 12mm semi-precious heart beads • crystal 8mm round superior-quality crystals • crystal 10mm rondelle superior-quality crystals • Light Azore Swarovski 4mm bicones • Padparadscha Swarovski 6mm Xilion bicone • Crystal Powder Green Swarovski 6mm pearl beads • 3mm plain silver metal spacer beads • 8mm silver-plated jump ring • 50mm silver-plated headpins • 12mm silver-plated trigger catch • 2mm silver-plated round crimp beads • Satin Silver Strand Beadalon • silver-plated extension chain with tear drop • silver-plated baby belcher chain
TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters
Arrange your beads onto the headpins as shown, making sure there is space at the top of the headpin to create a wrapped loop (see
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ABOUT EMILY… Emily has been involved with beads for more than 17 years. The Bead Shop is a family business, started in 1993, but in the past Emily has branched off with her own businesses, selling beads and her own jewellery in Ibiza on the markets, then eventually opening a shop on the island with her father. She even took a fashion course and started a clothing label with a friend, but beads called her back! Since 2000 she has been involved full-time with The Bead Shop, helping to run the business, designing kits and jewellery for the website, and teaching beading classes. Emily is self-taught and always on the lookout for new techniques and designs to inspire her. She particularly loves working with Swarovski crystal and pearls – or anything that sparkles really!
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WHERE TO BUY
TO CREATE
www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
page 92 for illustrated step-by-step instructions on making a wrapped loop). There are 18 beaded headpins on the necklace featured here. Attach the beaded headpins to jump rings (three beaded headpins to one ring). Cut one length of baby belcher chain to measure 7cm and attach it to one end of the beading wire (make sure you have enough wire to use whilst threading). Thread a crimp onto the beading wire before threading the wire though the end of the chain. Bring the wire back on itself to create a loop and thread back through the
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All the materials used here are available from The Bead Shop Manchester, Afflecks Palace, 35 Oldham St, Manchester M1 1JG; www.the-beadshop.co.uk; 0161 833 9950 crimp before squeezing the crimp shut using a pair of flat-nosed pliers. You can now start threading your necklace: Add a spacer bead followed by a 4mm Swarovski bicone and a turquoise disc. Repeat the discs and bicones twice more. Add seven coin beads followed by approximately 14 jump rings (incuding one of the beaded jump rings you created in Steps 1 and 2). You can now follow this pattern
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or create your own, changing the quantities of coins and jump rings, and placing your groups of beads where you like. To finish, add your spacer bead, then the crimp and other length of chain (6-7cm). Thread the wire back through the crimp, close it and snip off any excess wire. Attach a jump ring to each end of the chain, with the extension chain on one ring and the trigger clasp on the other.
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JEWELLERY DÉCOUPAGE
turning AURORA LOMBARDO DESIGNER
ABOUT AURORA… Aurora is the owner of The Jazzy Jewelz Studio in Ickleton, Cambridgeshire, a friendly jewellerymaking studio offering a range of beading workshops, glass fusing classes, and jewellerymaking parties for children and adults. For those who feel creative but live too far away to visit, The Jazzy Jewelz Studio online shop sells jewellery-making kits and party packs for all skill levels. Aurora herself is an experienced designerjeweller, specialising in glass and silver jewellery. Her work is supplied to selected shops and galleries in the UK and Italy – you can see more at www. auroralombardo.com. To find out more about about The Jazzy Jewelz Studio, visit www.thejazzyjewelz studio.co.uk or call 07905 888256.
ost people will probably associate découpage with furniture or pottery, but this technique can be used very effectively to decorate glass and create some beautiful jewellery pieces and accessories. This project will show you
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JAPANESE Decorate clear glass beads with gorgeous patterned papers for beautiful and interesting jewellery pieces that are surprisingly simple to make. Aurora Lombardo reveals how DÉCOUPAGED GLASS BRACELET
MATERIALS how to make an eyecatching découpaged glass bracelet and a matching pair of earrings. I’ve used Japanese Chiyogami paper but you could use any paper you fancy, or even fabric.
TO CREATE THE DÉCOUPAGED GLASS BEADS Cut out two rectangular pieces, slightly larger in size than your glass cabochons, from your sheet of decorative paper and set aside.
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Have a look at one of your cabochons – normally one side of the glass piece is slightly textured. This is the side you will want to cover with paper. Lay the cabochon on your working surface with the textured side up and apply a coating of Diamond Glaze (Fig 1). Press the glass down firmly onto the patterned side of your decorative paper, using an even pressure to ensure that any air bubbles that might have formed are
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• 11 x rectangular clear glass cabochons • decorative paper • JudiKins Diamond Glaze • strong craft adhesive • flat-pad bracelet blank
pushed out (Fig 2). Make sure the corners and sides have been glued well. If there is excess glue on the side of the glass, wipe it off gently with the corner of a paper towel. Allow the glaze to dry for about 15 minutes. Once the first piece of paper is dry, turn the cabochon over, add a thin layer of Diamond Glaze to
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TOOLS • craft knife and cutting board • nail file • scissors • craft brush • chain-nosed pliers
the back and apply the second piece of paper to it (Figs 3 and 4). Again, allow the glaze to dry completely before moving on to the next step. Put the cabochon paper-side-down onto a self-healing cutting mat and carefully trim the excess paper away using a sharp craft knife (Fig 5). Use a nail
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CBJ03 pp66-67 Nippon Decoupage_Beading 25/05/2010 12:35 Page 67
JEWELLERY DÉCOUPAGE WHERE TO BUY Glass tiles and a selection of découpaged glass jewellery kits can be purchased from www.thejazzyjewelzstudio.co.uk Decorative papers are available from www.paperstudio.com Adhesives and découpage glazes are available online at www.stampaddictsshop.co.uk Bracelet blanks and findings are available from www.dichro-findings.co.uk
MATERIALS
TO CREATE Follow Steps 1-6 of the bracelet instructions to prepare two square cabochons for the earrings. Apply a small amount of adhesive to the earring bail (Fig 10) and press it firmly to the back of the glass square. Centre the bail and let it dry for at least 24 hours (Fig 11). Using a pair of pliers, attach the earrings to the ear wire.
1 2 DÉCOUPAGED GLASS EARRINGS
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• 2 x square clear glass cabochons • decorative paper • JudiKins Diamond Glaze • strong craft adhesive • glue-on earring bails • fish-hook wires
TOOLS • craft knife and cutting board • nail file • scissors • craft brush • chain-nosed pliers
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file to gently smooth down the edges of the paper (Fig 6). This is an important step that will seal the back of the cabochon, protecting the paper and making it moisture-resistant. Apply three or four thin, even coats of
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Diamond Glaze to the back of the cabochon using a flat paintbrush, allowing the glaze to dry completely between coats (Fig 7). Once the final coat has dried, check the sides of the glass and remove any excess glaze by carefully scraping the
edges with the blade (Fig 8). Repeat Steps 1-6 to decorate the other 10 rectangular glass beads for the bracelet.
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ASSEMBLING THE BRACELET Once your 11 beads are ready, apply a
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small amount of adhesive to either the pads on your bracelet blank or the cabochons themselves, then press the glass beads firmly onto the pads (Fig 9). Centre each bead carefully. Let the bracelet dry for at least 24 hours.
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67
CHARM SUPPLIES
MAGICAL SUE CRANE DESIGNER
ABOUT SUE… Sue lives in Derbyshire with her husband Adam, stepson James and Macy the Jack Russell. She was struggling to find the components she needed to make wine glass charms when she first realised there was a gap in the market for these products. At the time she was full-time cabin crew for an international airline but as the business grew she reduced her hours and then, in 2008, retired from flying to concentrate entirely on Charm Supplies. Sue designs a large range of charms and other craft and jewellery making components, which she sells on her website, www.charm supplies.co.uk. Last year she expanded her business and she now also sells lovely, unusual and personalised gifts for special occasions online at www.occasions emporium.co.uk
SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS!
markers Decorated with charms and beads and cleverly themed, these bookmarks make beautiful, unusual gifts for everyone – even those tricky-to-cater-for men in your life!
MATERIALS • hook metal bookmark • football charm • 2 x 4mm jet black Swarovski crystals • 8mm clear Swarovski crystal • 24mm eyepin
• 4mm jump ring • 8mm jump ring
TOOLS • 2 x small craft pliers including round-nosed pliers
TO CREATE Thread a 4mm black crystal onto a 24mm eyepin. Thread an 8mm clear crystal onto the same pin, followed by another 4mm black crystal.
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Using a small pair of round-nosed pliers, bend the straight end of the eyepin to create another loop. Close the loop by gently squeezing it with pliers.
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Attach the football charm to one end of the eyepin using a 4mm jump ring. Attach the other end of the dangle to your bookmark using an 8mm jump ring.
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CBJ03 pp68-69 Store Charm_Beading 25/05/2010 12:38 Page 69
CHARM SUPPLIES TO CREATE Thread an 8mm crystal onto your first eyepin. Use snips to cut the straight end of the eyepin, leaving approximately 10mm above the crystal. Using a small pair of round-nosed pliers, bend the straight end of the
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eyepin to create another loop above the bead. Hook this loop into the eye of another eyepin and close it by
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gently squeezing with a pair of pliers. Now thread another crystal onto the second eyepin and repeat the process
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twice. You have now created a sort of chain with crystals. Attach the dragonfly charm onto one end of the
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chain using a 4mm jump ring. Finally, attach the whole thing to your hook bookmark with an 8mm jump ring.
ELEGANT CRYSTAL
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MATERIALS • • • • • •
hook metal bookmark crystal dragonfly charm 3 x 8mm crystals 3 x 24mm eyepins 4mm jump ring 8mm jump ring
TOOLS
FAIRY FOOTSTEPS TO CREATE Using a strong pair of snips, cut a 25mm length of the curb chain. With small pliers, open the 4mm jump ring and attach your
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fairy charm to the chain (I find that flatnosed and bent-nosed pairs used together are best). Open the 8mm jump ring and attach the other end of the chain to the hole in the end of a swirl bookmark.
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WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from www.charm supplies.co.uk; 01332 863370
TOP TIP
• 2 x small craft pliers including round-nosed pliers • snips
If you are giving this very simple but effective bookmark as a gift, present it in a pretty or fun decorated box, perhaps printing a label with your own special message. A 70x50mm size is ideal for a mini bookmark like this, with a 213x35mm size perfect for the larger bookmarks featured here, and you can choose one specifically designed to be shallow enough to post at large letter rate
MATERIALS • • • • •
mini swirl bookmark fairy charm 4mm jump ring 8mm jump ring curb chain
TOOLS • 2 x small craft pliers • snips
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DESIGNER GALLERY
designer GALLERY
Be inspired by these fabulous designs and send your own creations in to us – we’d love to see them!
Each designer featured wins a fabulous product set kindly donated by The Beadery
www.thebeadery.com
GREY THREE-SET BY ANN DRUMMOND FROM CHESHIRE MATERIALS • glass pearls bead mix • black chain • findings
MEMORY WIRE BRACELET BY LUCY HARRIET FROM CHESHIRE MATERIALS • • • • •
memory wire findings glass pearls opaque beads Swarovski crystal bicones • Czech beads
CRYSTALS AND PEARLS BY JOANNE HODGKINSON FROM ST IVES, CORNWALL MATERIALS • wire • beads • findings
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CBJ03 pp72-73 Designer Gall_CBJ 25/05/2010 17:05 Page 73
DESIGNER GALLERY
Each designer featured wins a Miyuki bead jewellery kit worth £12.70 kindly donated by The Bead Shop Scotland
FLORAL PAPER BEAD NECKLACE
www.beadshopscotland.co.uk Haddington 01620 822886 Edinburgh 0131 343 3222
BY LINDA BYNE FROM SUSSEX MATERIALS • • • • •
cardstock patterned paper glitter organza ribbon blue pen
• • • • •
gem spacer beads flower template jump ring eyelet
SAFETY PIN BRACELET BY SAMMY COUZINS FROM CHESHIRE MATERIALS • Sammy used • safety pins
• seed beads • elastic cord
PAPER BEAD THREE SET BY ANON MATERIALS • patterned paper • clasp and findings • wire
Want to see your masterpiece on these pages? Please send your best creations to: Designer Gallery, Creative Beads & Jewellery, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL. Don’t forget to include your name, address and a list of the materials you used. NB: Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope for your projects to be returned. Alternatively, send a JPEG image to lindsey.hopkins@practicalpublishing.co.uk with the subject CB&J Designer Gallery.
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BIG BEAD LITTLE BEAD
vintage
ANNA WELLER DESIGNER
ABOUT ANNA… From a background studying theatre design and costume history, Anna now focuses her creative energies on jewellery design and the online bead shop www. bigbeadlittlebead.com. Big Bead Little Bead prides itself on offering vintage and one-off artist-made beads not available elsewhere.
TO CREATE Onto each 50mm eyepin, thread a fuchsia crystal bicone, a pale aqua glass donut, a mosaic round polymer clay bead and a mustard pinched glass bead. Close to the last bead, bend the pin over
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MATERIALS • 2 x gold-plated fish hook earrings • 2 x gold-plated 50mm eyepins • 2 x gold-plated 25mm eyepins • 6 x vintage pale aqua 6mm glass donuts • 2 x Pretty Pastels Mosaic round polymer clay beads (14x17mm) • 8 x vintage mustard pinched glass beads (4x7mm) • 4 x gold-plated 6mm hearts • 8 x vintage glass connectors • 4 x fuchsia 4mm crystal bicones • gold-plated curb chain (7x4mm)
TOOLS • round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers • side cutters
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CHARM by 90º and trim to about 7mm. Roll a loop in the top of the pin and ensure this is fully closed. Take the 25mm eyepins and create the following (turn a loop at the end of each, as before): four dangles with a mustard pinched glass bead and a pale aqua glass donut; two dangles with a mustard pinched glass bead followed by a fuchsia crystal bicone, and a gold-plated heart added to the end loop. Add the dangles to four-link lengths of chain, along with the glass connectors and the remaining goldplated hearts. To the first link of each piece of chain add one dangle with two vintage beads and two vintage glass connectors. The beaded dangle should sit next to the second link in the chain and hang so the vintage mustard pinched glass bead is at the bottom. To the second link of the chain add the beaded dangle with the gold-plated heart at the bottom. Position this on the opposite side of the chain to the other beaded dangle. To the third link of the chain add two vintage glass connectors – one to each side of the chain. To the final link of the chain add the final beaded dangle, hung so the vintage mustard pinched glass
Pretty vintage glass and some striking mosaic beads combine to create Anna Weller’s lovely, unique earrings
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bead is to the bottom. Open the bottom loop of the fish hook earring and use this to attach the loop at the top of the eyepin. Close the loop securely. Open the loop at the bottom of the
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WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from Big Bead Little Bead; www.bigbeadlittlebead.com; 01462 438233 eyepin and attach the first link of the chain and a heart. The loop of the eyepin should sit between the two glass
connectors on the first link of the chain, so that they are separated to hang on opposite sides of the link.
GJ BEADS
sugar & JILL THOMAS DESIGNER
SPICE
This wonderful Cinnamon Twist necklace uses different shaped beads in a spiral to give great depth and texture
ABOUT JILL… Jill started beading as a hobby over 25 years ago and turned it into a fulltime business in 1994 with GJ Beads. The company now includes a retail store in St Ives, a showroom and warehouse in St Erth, along with a thriving web and mailorder company. Jill teaches regular weekly beadwork classes at the warehouse in St Erth and is always developing new ideas and projects.
and fire polish beads are the points of the triangle, while the seed beads, Delica beads and bugles are the sides.
TO CREATE This spiral is based on Dutch Spiral – a very versatile technique, which, as you add different shaped beads, takes on a wonderful organic and textured feel. It may help when creating it to think of the rope as a triangle – the magatama, triangle
MATERIALS • • • • • •
18g magatama 18g size 5 triangle beads 4g size 11 seed beads 3g Delica beads 7g 6mm bugles 200 x 3mm fire polish beads • Nymo D or 8lb FireLine beading thread • 16mm toggle clasp • 4 x fuchsia 4mm crystal bicones
TOOLS • size 10 beading needle • bead mat • sharp scissors
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Thread a beading needle with 1.5m of Nymo. Leaving a 20cm tail, pick up one magatama, two Delica beads, one triangle, two size 11 seed beads, one fire polish bead and one bugle. Stitch through all the beads again to form a circle, then tie two knots to secure the ring of beads. Stitch though the magatama again. Pick up a magatama and two Delica beads and stitch into the triangle bead. Pick up another triangle and two seed beads, and stitch into the fire polish bead. Pick up a fire polish bead and a bugle and stitch into the new magatama (from Step 2).
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Repeat Steps 2-4 until the necklace is your desired length. The one here has 170 repeats, which makes it approx 40cm.
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ADDING THE TOGGLE CLASP Ensure that the needle is emerging from one of the point beads, either a magatama, triangle or fire polish bead. Tie two half-hitch knots to secure the thread, then pick up 15 Delica beads, thread on one part of the toggle clasp, and pick up another five Delica beads. Stitch back though the middle five Delica beads, pick up another five, stitch through the point bead on the other side of the spiral, then stitch back through all these Delica beads and the toggle clasp to reinforce.
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Repeat at the other end of the necklace.
BRINGING IN A NEW THREAD You will need to join in some new thread to complete the necklace. When the old thread is about 1520cm long, remove the needle and leave the thread to dangle. Take a new 1.5m length in the needle and stitch into the beadwork 2-3cm before the end of your work. Follow the thread
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path through to the end of the beadwork, tying half-hitch knots as you go to secure the new thread. When you reach the place where the old thread has been left, continue with the pattern. Return later to this old thread and weave it through the beadwork, tying some half-hitch knots to secure.
FINISHING OFF THREADS Weave the tail threads away in a similar way to how you incorporated the new thread.
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WHERE TO BUY All the materials used to make this necklace are available as a kit for £19.95 from the GJ Beads shop, Unit 1 Court Arcade, The Wharf, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1LG; 01736 793886, or the showroom, Unit L, St Erth Industrial Estate, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 6LP; 01736 751070, or online at www.gjbeads.co.uk
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Give us a Twirl.............................................................................. Romancing the Stone.................................................................. Under the Sea ............................................................................. Soft Touch .................................................................................... Going Loopy ................................................................................ Summer Lovin’............................................................................. Perfectly Moulded ........................................................................ Wedding Daze ............................................................................. World Cup Cufflinks..................................................................... Bead Doctor................................................................................. What’s Cooking?.......................................................................... You’ve Got Maille! ........................................................................ Red Hot Beads ............................................................................ Over the Waves ........................................................................... Summer Nights............................................................................ Turning Japanese........................................................................ Magical Markers .......................................................................... Vintage Charm ............................................................................ Sugar & Spice.............................................................................. Ring the Changes........................................................................ Prom Queen ................................................................................
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Some of the many creative techniques covered in this special summer issue are:
• Using templates • Collage • Card sketches • Stamping • Chipboard • Stitching • Doodling AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
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SHOPPING GUIDE
Shopping
GUIDE
Swarovski
PERIDOT Stockist: The Bead Shop Scotland www.beadshopscotland.co.uk Tel: Haddington 01620 822886; Edinburgh 0131 343 3222 RRP: £4.95
Add a touch of opulence to your designs using Swarovski’s stunning products
CRYSTAL DROP PENDANT Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £5.20 each
These tumblechips come on a 36” strand. Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occurs in only one colour
6MM BRIOLETTE BEADS
Add a touch of class to your projects with this crystal-clear 28mm drop pendant
Stockist: The Bead Shop Scotland www.beadshopscotland.co.uk Tel: Haddington 01620 822886; Edinburgh 0131 343 3222 RRP: £3.50
Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 0207 367 6217 RRP: £3.56 for 10 These beautiful briolette beads are available in a selection of sizes and sparkling colours
8MM CRYSTAL BUTTERFLY BEAD Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 0207 367 6217 RRP: 65p per pair
PLATINUM PEARLS
HOWLITE
Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £4.75
These Howlite hearts measure approximately 30mm across and are sold individually
These pearls are from the Crystallized range of Swarovski Elements. Average contents – five 14mm pearls
Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £3 each
GRACE’S MIX
Onyx is a form of quartz and this faceted rice bead is drilled top to bottom and measures approx 13x40mm
BLACK ONYX
Add a pretty and feminine accent to your projects with this perfectly cut pair of butterfly beads, also available in a range of sizes
Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £3.80
10MM FLOWER BEAD
This lovely bead mix from the Crystallized range features an average of 50 4mm beads
Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £1.50 each
HEART PENDANT
This pretty puff heart Rose Quartz exhibits a pale pink to rose-red hue and measures 20mm. The stone is said to represents love, balance and healing
Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 0207 367 6217 RRP: £1.05 This light sapphire flower adds a lovely crystal element to your creations
12.5MM RING BEAD Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 0207 367 6217 RRP: £3.02 These ring beads can have 4mm beads added to the centre for extra design flair
4MM CUBE BEAD Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 0207 367 6217 RRP: 38p These Swarovski crystal cube beads are great for a range of jewellery making and are available in a selection of colours and sizes
DRAGONFLY PENDANT Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £8.85 each This beautiful 30mm aquamarine dragonfly pendant makes for an elegant focal point
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Make show-stopping creations with semi-precious stones
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Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: 50p each
ROSE QUARTZ
GOLDSTONE
These pretty Siam heart pendants measure 10mm in size
Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: 45p each
CHAIN BRACELET
These flat oval beads measure 15x10mm. Goldstone is a type of glittering glass and tiny metallic sparkling flecks can be seen across its surface
Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £15 This stretch chain bracelet features round Xilion stones with bezel settings and vintage rose-coloured stones in a sterling silver casing
MOOKAITE Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: 65p each These Mookaite ovals are available in 10x14mm size. Mookaite is geologically known as Windalia Radiolarite and is a fine-grained, multicoloured siltstone
BALL PENDANTS
RAINBOW AGATE
Stockist: Bead Addict www.beadaddict.co.uk Tel: 0161 973 1945 RRP: from £4.25
Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £3.05
Swarovski ball pendants are truly stunning and add real sparkle and shimmer to your classy creations. Available in 14mm and 22mm
Rainbow agate is a beautiful stone made up of lovely earthy tones. Each bead is completley different with its own unique markings and colouring. Sold per temporary strand of 15”, giving you approximately 24 beads
CBJ03 pp78-79 Shoppin_Beading 25/05/2010 14:44 Page 79
SHOPPING GUIDE
Semi-precious
Take inspiration from the high street and make your own nautical pieces
Nautical
CARNELIAN Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £2.55 Carnelian is said to improve analytic abilities and clarify perception.These small semi-precious carnelian tumble smooth gem nugget beads measure about 9x12mm, but sizes may vary. Colour also varies throughout each strand of carnelian. Sold in 16” strands of approximately 29 beads
SHINY AQUA MIX Stockist: The Bead Shop Scotland www.beadshopscotland.co.uk Tel: Haddington 01620 822886; Edinburgh 0131 343 3222 RRP: £5.95 A range of beautiful pressed, machine-cut and lampworked glass beads. Also available in shiny turquoise
NEPTUNE CHOKER FLUORITE Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £4.99 These semi-precious Purple Fluorite gem stones are known for their stunning variation of colours and shades, including purple, violet, clear, and a slight trace of green.These beads are pear-shaped and have been side-drilled. Beads measure 15x20mm, approximately 20 beads sold per 15”
CHINESE GREEN JADE Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £3.87 These gorgeous Chinese Jade rectangle beads have fantastic earthy tones of mossy greens and blacks. Each bead measures approximately 20x30mm, sold per temporary 16” strand with around 13 beads
TURQUOISE Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £2.99 These beautiful semi-precious chalk turquoise wavy heart beads are a lovely deep colour, with occasional markings in brown. Beads measure 30mm and are sold in temporary strands of approximately 16,” giving you around 13 beads
Stockist: The Bead Shop Scotland www.beadshop scotland.co.uk Tel: Haddington 01620 822886 / Edinburgh 0131 343 3222 RRP: £12.70 Create this fabulous necklace with one of the Miyuki kits available
TURQUOISE DONUT SHELL BEADS Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: £2.75 Each donut bead measures around 25mm in diameter and the set comes on a 16” string with 16 beads
WHITE GRADUATED COIN SHELL BEADS Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: £5 The size of these coin beads graduates from 12-30mm in diameter with six 6mm round beads at each end. Each coin is drilled through the face rather than end to end so that they overlap. Strings are 18” long and contain around 38 beads
SWAROVSKI STARFISH PENDANT
FOIL-LINED GLASS BEADS Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: 60p each You can make a bold statement with these 18mm flat square foil-lined glass beads
FLATTIE FISH BEAD Stockist: Beads Unlimited www.beadsunlimited.co.uk Tel: 01273 740777 RRP: 30p each This decorative metal bead adds a great fishy feel to your nautical creations
LEAPING DOLPHIN CHARM Stockist: Beads Unlimited www.beadsunlimited.co.uk Tel: 01273 740777 RRP: 60p each Use as a charm or pendant for your projects
TRINITY BRASS SEAHORSE Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel:01509 218028 RRP: £1.48 This sea horse charm measures 25mm, is double-sided and professionally finished in the USA. Nickel and lead compliant
SILVER-PLATED ANCHOR CHARM Stockist: Big Bead Little Bead www.bigbeadlittlebead.com RRP: 35p each
Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £7.65
These silver-plated anchor charms measure 19mm wide, and are a good-quality charm for a substantial and eye-catching focal piece
Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £3.03
These Red Magma 28mm starfish pendants make a beautiful focal point
SILVER-PLATED STARFISH CHARM
Sunstone is a joyful stone that is linked to good fortune. These beads come in a beautiful dusky pink tone with a unique glisten making them a great quality bead. They are sold per temporary strand of 16”, giving you approximately 100 beads
Stockist: Shiney Rocks www.shineyrocks.co.uk Tel: 0117 300 9800 RRP: £7
SUNSTONE
LAMPWORK FISH BEAD
This novelty lampwork fish bead is handmade and available in a selection of colours
Stockist:Big Bead Little Bead www.bigbeadlittlebead.com RRP:50p each These two-sided starfish charms are 20mm wide. They are perfect for all your nautical designs and these charms would make a great addition to jewellery makes for all ages
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PRECIOUS METAL CLAY Samantha Berman shows you how to create three strikingly different ring designs using the ever-versatile Precious Metal Clay
SAMANTHA BERMAN DESIGNER
RING the changes
hese three very different ring designs begin with the same formula for calculating the size. When doing your sums, remember the shrinkage ratio of PMC3 (which is the strongest PMC form and so advisable for rings). See the boxout on page 83 for details. Also ensure that you use PMC fresh from the pack to guarantee maximum strength.
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SIZING IT UP There are two ways to calculate ring size. The most simple method involves using a ring sizer (make sure that it goes easily over your knuckle). Once you have the correct finger size, make your ring two sizes larger to allow for shrinkage. To calculate using the more complex (and more accurate) method
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that I used here, take a strip of paper and wrap it around your finger at the widest part (the knuckle). Use a pencil to mark carefully where the paper meets and measure this length. On top of this, you must add the thickness of the ring (normally 1-2mm). Then multiply this measurement by 1.13 (thus allowing for shrinkage of 13%) to get the size that you will need to make your ring. If, for example, your finger is 52mm, add 2mm for the ring thickness (54mm), then multiply this by 1.13 (54x1.13). Your ring should therefore be 61mm. Once you have this measurement, mark it onto your template and cut to size. For basic instructions on working with PMC, turn to our step-by-step guide on page 83
CBJ03 pp80-83 PMC Ring Saskia Rose_Beading 25/05/2010 14:48 Page 81
PRECIOUS METAL CLAY Once you have calculated your ring size, wrap your length of measured paper around the ring mandrel and tape it so the ends meet exactly. Using a snake roller, roll the clay into a sausage shape to the required width. Apply PMC paste onto the paper form on your ring mandrel (this is to ensure that when you put the PMC onto the form, it holds it in place). Place the rolled PMC onto the paste on the mandrel and very carefully, ensuring that you don’t stretch it, wrap it around the mandrel until the two ends overlap. Using a tissue blade, cut through the overlap section of the
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STEP 7 ring at a slant so that you now have two ends ready to paste together. Remove any excess clay and put it back in the pack. Paste the two ends together using PMC paste or water and, if necessary, a clay shaper until they stick and leave to dry. While drying, take PMC and roll it into a ball in your hands. Take a small straw and cut a hole
out of the middle of the clay. Take your CZ stone and gently push it into the hole so that it falls just below the surface of the clay. Once dry, paste it onto your ring on the mandrel and, again, leave to dry. Remove the ring very carefully from the mandrel so that it dries fully at the back. Reinforce the join of the ring
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FIND OUT MORE
TO CREATE For more information on PMC, the Metal Clay Academy is a great place to start. The independent website at www.metalclayacademy.com lists a variety of FAQs and resources, as well as details of suppliers and classes. For more technical information and a handy users’ bulletin board, visit the PMC Guild at www.pmcguild.co.uk You can also find a wide variety of literature and illustrated books about jewellery making with metal clay
at the back with paste until you are confident it is completely sealed. Once dry, carefully sand the ring with sanding pads and papers. To avoid too much shrinkage during firing you can make a central core from Paper Clay. Take your ring size with a
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sizer and, using this sizer, cut into the paper clay. Leave to dry and this will become your central core for the ring during firing. Place the core into the ring and fire the piece in a kiln at 900ºc for two hours to ensure maximum strength.
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STONE SET RING
MATERIALS • PMC • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • length of paper • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • texture stamp or sheet • water spray • CZ stone • straw
TOOLS • • • • • •
tissue blade ring mandrel brush clay-shaping tool snake roller sanding papers and burnishers
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CBJ03 pp80-83 PMC Ring Saskia Rose_Beading 25/05/2010 14:48 Page 82
PRECIOUS METAL CLAY the ring, so start by rolling it into a sausage shape in your hands.) Using a tissue blade, cut the rolled PMC to the required width that you would like your ring. Apply PMC paste onto the paper form on your ring mandrel (this is to ensure that when you put the PMC onto the form, it holds it in place). Place the PMC onto the paste on the mandrel and carefully (ensuring that you don’t stretch it) wrap it around the mandrel until it overlaps. Using a tissue blade, cut through the overlap section of the ring at a slant so that you now have two ends ready to paste together. Remove any excess clay and put away. Paste the two ends together using PMC paste or water and, if necessary, a clay shaper until they stick, then leave to dry. While drying, roll some PMC to the
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TO CREATE
FLOWER RING
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MATERIALS • PMC • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • length of paper • ring mandrel • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • texture stamp or sheet • playing cards • water spray
TO CREATE
TOOLS • • • • • •
roller brush clay-shaping tool flower cutters tissue blade sanding pad and burnishers
Using a tissue blade, cut the rolled PMC to the required width that you would like your ring. Using your readymade paper template, cut the PMC to the required length. Add additional details, as desired, and leave to dry completely. Once dry, sand the PMC. Then fire it in a kiln at 900ºc for
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Calculate your ring size and measure this out on a piece of paper (to become your template). Roll out a length of PMC to the thickness of five cards, texturing if required. (As you want a long piece of PMC for the ring, start by rolling the clay in your hands into a sausage shape.)
Once you have calculated your ring size, wrap your measured paper around the ring mandrel and tape it so the ends meet exactly. Roll out PMC to the thickness of five stacked playing cards, as explained in the Basic Tehnique opposite. (You want a long piece of PMC for
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thickness of four cards, texturing and cutting out a flower shape. Using paste, stick it to your ring, curling the petals so that they sit nicely on the ring. Leave to dry. Remove the ring very carefully from the mandrel so that it dries fully at the back. Reinforce the join of the ring at the back with paste until it is completely sealed and leave to dry. Once dry, sand with sanding papers and pads. To avoid too much shrinkage during firing you can make a central core from Paper Clay. Take your ring size with a sizer and, using this sizer, cut into the paper clay. Leave to dry and this will become your central core for the ring during firing. Place the core into the ring and fire in a kiln at 900ºc for two hours to ensure maximum strength in your finished piece.
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FLAT PANEL RING
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MATERIALS • PMC • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • length of paper • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • texture stamp or sheet • playing cards • water spray
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TOOLS • • • • • • •
clay-shaping tool triblet and ring sizer rawhide or nylon mallet brush roller tissue blade various sanding pads, sanding papers and burnishers
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two hours to ensure maximum strength. Using a metal ring triblet, slowly bend
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the fired ring around it to your ring size (it is vital to bend slowly to avoid breakage).
Using a rawhide or nylon mallet, finish rounding off your ring.
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PRECIOUS METAL CLAY
BASIC TECHNIQUE FOR USING PMC MATERIALS
Lightly grease anything that will come into contact with metal clay (including your hands), with the exception of the Teflon sheet. Roll the clay in your hands and place on your texture sheet. Roll the clay with a roller, starting with 10 playing cards on each side and taking them down two at a time until you have no fewer than four cards either side. (Ensure that your cards stay on the texture sheet either side of the clay at all times, as shown.)
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playing cards water spray brush clay-shaping tool shaped cutters or craft knife hand drill (if required) various sanding pads, sanding papers and burnishers
Lightly grease another texture sheet for the top side of the clay and roll this onto the clay, making sure it is also on top of the playing cards. Lightly grease a cutter or craft knife and cut out the shape required. If the clay becomes stuck in the cutter, dampen your brush with water and gently push it down the edge of the cutter to lever out the clay, making sure you don’t put any indentations into it. Use a clay shaper or metal tool
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to smooth the sides of the clay and shape as desired. Set aside to dry, which will take 12-24 hours for air drying, depending on room temperature. For faster drying, try using a food dehydrator, a hot plate on a cool setting with the clay placed on a piece of Teflon, or an oven or kiln at a very low temperature. Once dry, begin the sanding process. This is the most important stage of the whole process, so take
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NEED TO KNOW
• • • • • • •
Each form of PMC will shrink during firing as follows: PMC Original (kiln-fire only) – 28% shrinkage PMC+ (kiln or torch-fire) – 12% shrinkage PMC3 (kiln or torch-fire) – 12% shrinkage
as long as necessary to ensure the piece is fully sanded. For a mirror finish, the seven-stage coloured sanding papers are excellent. You can also put holes into your pieces at this stage with a hand drill or craft knife. Fire your piece, either in a kiln or
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TOP TIP
• PMC • laminated A4 paper or other non-stick surface • Teflon sheet • Badger Balm or olive oil • texture sheets of your choice (shallow for the back) • roller
with a butane torch, and, using a softbristle brush with soap and water, brush the piece until you see matt silver, then burnish to reach the finished shiny result. (When burnishing, do not use anything sharp as this will scratch the silver.)
If using olive oil for greasing your tools and hands, it is best to put this into a small container with a sponge. Never over-saturate items with the oil, just use a small amount as an anti-stick agent
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JEWELLERY PROM NIGHT
prom
QUEEN
LISA BORLAND DESIGNER
Whether it’s the long-awaited school prom or a summer ball on the calendar, Lisa Borland has some breathtaking jewellery designs for a night to remember ABOUT LISA… Lisa owns Adorabubble Jewellery in West Lothian (www.adora bubblejewellery.com; 01506 205037). She has been making jewellery for several years and has recently diversified into making tiaras and fascinators for weddings and other special occasions. Her emphasis is always on creating something that little bit different, whether it is all about glamour and sparkle or simple elegance.
MATERIALS • 25” silver-plated curb chain • 41 x 1” headpins • lobster clasp • 5mm jump ring • 8mm jump ring • 4” chain for extender • 15 x red crystal rondelles (4x6mm) • 7 x clear crystal rondelles (6x8mm) • 8 x clear crystal rondelles (8x10mm) • 9 x jet black Czech crystals (8mm)
TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • flush cutters
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ith prom season arriving soon, it’s time to hunt for the dress that will make you look like a princess on your special night. With so many shapes and colours to choose from, you really can look like the belle of the ball without losing your individuality. But once you’ve got a dress to impress, what do you do about your jewellery? You need something that will complement your outfit, suit your own personal style, and help you dazzle on the night – so why not make it yourself? This will give you jewellery that is not only perfect for the prom itself but also a wonderful keepsake of your special evening. The four designs included here have been created using four different techniques. Some are incredibly easy to make and some are a little bit more fiddly and time consuming. But I can assure you that they are all absolutely stunning when worn!
NECKLACE
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CHARMING SET – NECKLACE, BRACELET & EARRINGS This is a great set that combines the universal love of charms with the sophistication of crystals to help you sparkle and stand out from the crowd. This looks difficult to make, but it’s actually very easy. If you’re new to making loops you’ll be an expert by the time you’ve finished!
TO CREATE Add headpins to all the crystals to make the dangles. String a bead onto a headpin, then use round-nosed
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pliers to make a loop, leaving it slightly open. Cut a 20-25” length of chain. Fold it in half and attach a black dangle to the link in the centre. Add more dangles, alternately using mainly red and clear, binding the two sides of chain together (you should only use three of the black dangles on the central piece). To create the cluster effect, start by adding a couple of dangles to each link. Keep adding dangles until you have a central cluster piece of approximately 2”. Separate the two ends of the chain and add a dangle to
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either side, ensuring you match the colour and link. Leave approx 3-4 links between each of the dangles. Try to leave at least one of each colour for the extender chain. Once you have the desired length, cut the chain. Add a lobster clasp to a 5mm jump ring and attach it to one end of the chain. Cut a 4” length of chain for the extender. Add the extender to the 8mm jump ring and attach it to the other end of the chain. Attach three dangles to the end of the extender.
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JEWELLERY PROM NIGHT TO CREATE Make dangles using all of the crystals. Cut a length of chain measuring approximately 8”. You need to cut at least 2” more than your wrist size for the extender.
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Attach the lobster clasp to the 5mm jump ring and add it to one end of your bracelet chain. Attach one red dangle to a link on the chain, then add a black and a clear
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BRACELET
dangle to the same link. Leave a space of two links, then attach a red and a clear dangle to one link. Leave two more links and attach a red, clear and black dangle. Leave two
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more links and attach a red and a clear dangle. Carry on until you have three dangles left. Attach these to the very last link on the chain.
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MATERIALS • • • • •
8” chain lobster clasp 5mm jump ring 35 x 1” headpins 14 x red crystal rondelles (4x6mm) • 13 x clear crystal rondelles (6x8mm) • clear crystal rondelle (8x10mm) • 8 x jet black Czech crystals (8mm)
TOOLS
TOP TIP
• round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • flush cutters
TO CREATE Make dangles by attaching all the crystals to headpins. Attach an ear wire to the top of each length of chain. At the bottom of the length of chain add one black crystal. Add the remaining dangles, alternating colours to the links, sometimes adding two to a link, sometimes adding one.
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The beauty of this set is that it can be made using any type of bead – try pearl or glass in just one colour or a multitude of different shades and combinations
EARRINGS
MATERIALS • 2 x 1” lengths of chain • silver ear wires • 2 x black Czech crystals (8mm) • 4 x clear crystal rondelles (8x10mm) • 4 x clear crystal rondelles (6x8mm) • 8 x red crystal rondelles (4x6mm) • 18 x 1” headpins
TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • flush cutters
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CBJ03 pp86-91 Prom Jewels_Beading 25/05/2010 12:32 Page 88
JEWELLERY PROM NIGHT NECKLACE
before you start and add 1”. At one end of the Tigertail, thread a calotte and a crimp bead. Using your flatnosed pliers, squash the crimp bead flat as close to the end of the wire as possible. Close the calotte and press it together. Open a jump ring and slip on the lobster clasp. Attach the jump ring to the calotte and close it. The whole point of this necklace is that it is a mish-mash of pearls, so begin stringing them on in a random fashion, adding in the occasional crystal. Once you have strung two-thirds of the beads, add the coin pearl to create an offcentre focal point. Continue stringing the remaining pearls. String on a calotte, then a crimp bead. Leaving a little space for movement, squash the crimp bead and cover it with the calotte. For the dangles, cut a 2” length of chain. Create three dangles by attaching three pearls to three separate headpins and creating loops. Open a jump ring and attach the 2” extender chain. Attach the jump ring to the calotte and close it. To finish, attach the three dangles to the last link on the extender chain.
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MATERIALS • approx 54 x pearls in assorted sizes, shapes and colours • coin pearl • Tigertail • silver-plated chain • 2 x crimp beads • 2 x calottes • lobster clasp • 2 x 5mm jump rings • 3 x 1” headpins • 3 x clear 4mm Swarovski crystal bicones • 3 x assorted pearls for dangles
TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • flush cutters
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NOT GRANNY’S PEARLS – NECKLACE, BRACELET & EARRINGS I personally love pearls and get excited when I discover new shapes and sizes. I like mine to be freshwater rather than synthetic glass ones, but you can use whatever kind of pearl you like. Vintage is in and pearls complement the many beautiful floral and stripy styles currently on
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the catwalk and the high street. Pearls also look incredibly sophisticated and feminine when worn with eveningwear. This set is the easiest one to make but it looks amazing because I’ve used lots of different colours, sizes and shapes of pearls for a traditional pearl set with a twist. So not your granny’s pearls – well, unless she lets you take hers apart to combine with some new finds!
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TO CREATE Cut a length of Tigertail measuring approximately 15-16” – you want this necklace to sit snugly so measure your neck
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WHERE TO BUY Your local bead store will carry a selection of freshwater pearls, which are available in a range of prices (dependent on quality) to suit every budget. Although I prefer to use freshwater pearls, Swarovski makes some beautiful crystal pearls in a variety of shapes and colours and these are ideal if you want all your pearls to have a uniform shape. They are available from many local and online bead stores
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JEWELLERY PROM NIGHT BRACELET
MATERIALS • • • • • • • • •
Tigertail silver-plated chain 2 x calottes 2 x crimp beads 2 x jump rings lobster clasp 20 x assorted pearls coin pearl 2 x clear 4mm Swarovski crystal bicones • 2 x assorted pearls for dangles
TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • flush cutters
TO CREATE Follow the instructions for the pearl necklace on page 88. You will need approximately 7” of Tigertail and a 1” length of silver-plated chain for the extender.
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MATERIALS • ear wires • 2 x 2” headpins • 6 x pearls (3 identical pairs) • 2 x coin pearls • 2 x clear 4mm Swarovski crystal bicones
EARRINGS
TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • flush cutters
TO CREATE Add a coin pearl, a crystal and one of each of the three assorted pearls to a headpin. Make a loop and attach the headpin to the ear wire. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to make the other earring.
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TOP TIP
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I use a mixture of pearls such as potato pearls, rice pearls, Keshi pearls and coin pearls in natural colours, but you could add a bit more pizzazz to your set by using bright pink dyed pearls www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com
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JEWELLERY PROM NIGHT NECKLACE
I love wearing this kind of jewellery as it looks as though the beads are dancing on my skin. It’s a beautiful fairytale style, perfect for special occasions. Many brides and bridesmaids choose to wear this style as it is
MATERIALS • • • • • • • • • • •
clear illusion cord 2 x calottes 2 x 5mm jump rings chain headpin 4 x lilac rondelles (10x14mm) 9 x silver 4mm Czech crystals 9 x purple rondelles (6x4mm) 2 x pink 6mm glass pearl 6 x silver shade 6mm Swarovski bicones 7 x amethyst 6mm Swarovski bicones
TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • flush cutters
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very delicate and does not overpower their dress. So why not create a whimsical illusion style that sparkles delicately in the light?
TO CREATE Cut three lengths of clear illusion cord, each approximately 30” long. Thread one lilac rondelle onto your first string. Leave approximately 3” at the end of the cord and pass the cord twice through the hole in the bead. Leave about 1”, then thread on a silver Czech crystal. Pass the cord twice through the hole in the bead. Continue by threading a purple rondelle and passing the cord through twice, then add a pink glass pearl and pass the cord through twice. Continue in this sequence until you have used three lilac
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rondelles, three silver Czech crystals, three purple rondelles and two pink glass pearls. Taking the second piece of cord, string six purple rondelles and six silver shade bicones alternately, leaving smaller spaces between them. Repeat with the third piece of cord, threading and fastening seven amethyst bicones and six silver Czech crystals. Hold one end of the three strings together, and thread on a calotte and a crimp bead. Leave about 1” between the last beads and squash the crimp bead. Cut the extra cord, then close the calotte over the crimp bead using flat-nosed pliers. Open a jump ring and attach the lobster clasp to it. Attach both the jump ring and lobster clasp to the calotte and close the jump ring.
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You may now need someone to hold the piece for you, or use something to weigh down the end with the lobster clasp attached. With the clasp end held, separate the three strings then loosely begin to pleat them to bind them together. Once you reach the end of the strings, add a calotte and a crimp bead. Squash the crimp bead and remove any extra
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TOP TIPS
ILLUSION SET – NECKLACE, BRACELET & EARRINGS
cord, then close the calotte over the crimp bead using flat-nosed pliers. Cut a 2” extender chain. Open a jump ring and attach one end of the chain to it, then attach both to the calotte. Make a dangle by threading a lilac rondelle onto a headpin and creating a loop. Attach this to the end of the extender chain.
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Add more drama by creating more layers – you can make a six-, seven- or even 10-string illusion set if you wish Add more variety by using some semiprecious gemstone chips, which will also help to soften the piece even more You can use as many colours or shades as you like and playing around with sizes also helps to create a different feel. Use tiny pearls or crystals to create that ‘barely there’ look, or go for big, chunky beads for a funky statement piece
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JEWELLERY PROM NIGHT TO CREATE Follow the instructions for the illusion necklace on page 90. Your three lengths of illusion cord should each be approximately 20” long and you will need a 1” length of chain for the extender. The beads required for the bracelet are as follows: • String 1: 2 lilac rondelles, 2 silver Czech crystals, 2 purple rondelles, 1 pink glass pearl • String 2: 3 purple rondelles, 3 silver shade bicones • String 3: 4 amethyst bicones, 3 silver Czech crystals • Dangle: 1 lilac rondelle
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BRACELET
MATERIALS • • • • • • • • • • •
clear illusion cord 2 x calottes 2 x 5mm jump rings chain headpin 3 x lilac rondelles (10x14mm) 5 x silver 4mm Czech crystals 5 x purple rondelles (6x4mm) pink 6mm glass pearl 3 x silver shade 6mm Swarovski bicones 4 x amethyst 6mm Swarovski bicones
TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • flush cutters
MATERIALS EARRINGS
• ear wires • 4 x 2” headpins • 2 x lilac rondelles (10x14mm) • 2 x silver 4mm Czech crystals • 2 x amethyst 6mm Swarovski bicones • 2 x silver shade 6mm Swarovski bicones • 2 x purple rondelles (4x6mm) • 2 x pink 6mm glass pearls
TO CREATE Thread a lilac rondelle, a silver Czech crystal and an amethyst crystal onto a headpin. Create a loop in the headpin and attach it to an ear wire. Thread a purple rondelle, a pink pearl and a silver shade bicone onto another headpin. Cut approximately 1cm off the top of the headpin, then create a loop and attach it to the ear wire. Repeat to create the matching earring.
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GLOSSARY TECHNIQUES
glossary of
TECHNIQUES
Follow these basic techniques to get started on your projects
OPENING AND CLOSING JUMP RINGS
Grip the jump ring on each side of the 1 opening using pliers – either two pairs of flat-nosed, or one flat-nosed and one
To open the jump ring, bring one pair 2 of pliers towards you, opening the jump ring like a door rather than pulling
round-nosed pair.
it apart.
Slide your component onto the ring, 3 then reverse the action of your pliers to bring the ends neatly back together.
FORMING A PLAIN LOOP This is the simplest way of creating a loop on a headpin, eyepin or a length of wire, ready for connecting to other components.
Trim the wire end to 1cm above the Grip the tip of the wire using roundRelease the wire, rotate the pliers back 1 2 3 last bead, and make a 90º bend close to nosed pliers, and rotate the pliers away towards you and grip the wire again. the bead using a pair of chain-nosed or from you to start curling the wire. Continue rotating the wire and repositioning flat-nosed pliers.
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your pliers until the loop is formed.
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GLOSSARY TECHNIQUES CREATING A WRAPPED LOOP A wrapped loop is stronger than a simple loop, as it is completely closed and is perfect for heavier pendants and for creating links.
Trim the wire end to 3cm above the 1 last bead, then use a pair of chainnosed pliers to make a 90º bend a short
Hold the wire just above the bend Position the bottom jaw of your pliers 2 3 using round-nosed pliers, and wrap the into the curved wire and complete the end of the wire over the top jaw. curve to form a loop. Your wire end
distance above the bead.
Holding the loop flat using chainnosed pliers, grip the wire end using flat-nosed pliers and wind it around the stem to cover the gap between the loop and the bead.
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should be back at the 90º angle.
Trim the end of the wire using cutters, and flatten it against the stem using flat-nosed pliers to squash any sharp edges.
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Stringing materials, such as cord or ribbon, can be knotted and the knot covered with a clam calotte. Stiffer stringing materials, such as nylon beading wire, should be finished with a crimp, which can then be covered with a clam calotte.
USING CRIMP PLIERS
Position the crimp bead in the ridged 1 section of your pliers and squeeze to curl the crimp.
FINISHING ENDS
Position the crimp bead back in the 2 oval section of your pliers, ensuring it is sitting vertically, then squeeze gently to compress the crimp to a smooth, rounded shape.
Simply thread a calotte onto your stringing material, tie a knot or fix a crimp at the end, then slide the calotte back up to the end and close the two halves for perfect concealment.
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FINDINGS
fabulous
FINDINGS
From pins and clasps to rings and wire, if you’re new to jewellery making let us guide you through the essentials... ‘Findings’ is the word given to the group of core components needed to make jewellery. They are available in a variety of base and precious metals with a range of finishes; bronze and copper findings are now widely available, and make an interesting alternative to gold and silver. If you are specifically looking for hypo-allergenic findings, niobium and titanium components and wires are ideal and are available in a variety of colour finishes.
CLASPS Used to join the ends of a bracelet or necklace together, either manually or magnetically, clasps are available in a variety of designs. They can be simple wire components or highly decorative pieces that can be an integral part of jewellery design.
EYEPINS Instead of having a flat or decorative head, eyepins have a looped ‘eye’ so other components can be attached to them.
JUMP RINGS These are simple wire loops that are used to connect different components. Standard jump rings can be opened and closed, and you can purchase jump rings that are soldered closed when added security is required.
THREAD Thread encompasses many different materials, both manmade and of natural origin, and should be chosen according to the beads in your design. Silk is perfect for threading pearls and semi-precious stones, while nylon is more suited to glass beads. You need to be able to tie a knot in the thread that is large enough to stop the beads coming off, so take this into consideration. Flat threading materials such as ribbon and suede lace are perfect for large-holed beads, and can be finished with coils or box calottes to secure the end to your clasp.
SPLIT RINGS Split rings are similar to jump rings, but with two rotations of wire. They are used when added security is required. Unlike closed jump rings, they can have components added to them in the same way that keys are attached to a key ring.
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EAR WIRES Fish hooks are the standard ear wires used to create dangly earrings, but beaded designs can also be hung from ball and pin earrings, or even clip-on bases for non-pierced ears.
HEADPINS Similar to a standard sewing pin, headpins are commonly used to make dangly elements in a piece of jewellery. Standard headpins have a flattened top, but common variations include ball pins and pins with decoratively beaded ends.
STRINGING MATERIALS: CHAIN There are many different chain designs made from several different metals – or modern polyester for a lightweight but chunky alternative. Use small lengths of chain in a design to link different components, or single links from a large open chain as part of a feature pendant.
WIRE Wire is sold by both length and weight, and is categorised by its gauge (the thickness of the wire). The following table describes the uses for the most common wire gauges. Gauge
Thickness (mm)
Use
28
0.4
24
0.6
20
0.8
18
1.0
16
1.2
Binding, knitting and weaving Threading small, delicate beads. Binding and twisting Wire work with crystals and medium beads Wire-wrapping large beads and creating wire components Bold, chunky wireworked designs
Coloured wires are usually copper with an enamel coating. Tigertail is a speciality twistedsteel beading wire with a nylon coating, while Soft Flex wire is similar but more flexible and less prone to kinking. You can buy solid or plated silver and gold wire, and plated wire is often a good economical option (silver-plated wire won’t tarnish as quickly as solid silver). Memory wire, available in ring, bracelet and necklace sizes, is a stainless steel wire that never loses its shape. It is sold in coils that can be cut into individual rounds, strung with beads and finished with an end cap.
TOOLS
TOOLS of the trade
Get to grips with your jewellery-making tool kit – we guide you through the essential contents and their applications for professional-looking results
CHAIN-NOSED PLIERS
FLAT-NOSED PLIERS
ROUND-NOSED PLIERS
Also known as snipe-nosed pliers, these have flat jaws on the inside and rounded jaws on the outside and are designed for precision jobs such as creating wrapped loops.
Pliers with round jaws that taper to a point are used for forming loops and curves and are ideal for creating your own jump rings.
These pliers have flat faces on both sides of the jaws and are used for gripping wire and jewellery components while you are working on them, and for bending and flattening wire.
SIDE CUTTERS
CRIMPING PLIERS
MEMORY WIRE CUTTERS
Although chain or flat-nosed pliers will suffice to fix crimp beads, crimping pliers give a neat, professional finish. They are two-stage pliers, specifically designed to crush and fold crimp tubes to fix the position of beads on stringing material and to secure the ends.
These pliers will handle cutting lengths of soft wire and trimming headpins and eyepins. The jaws are angled for a clean, flush cut.
Memory wire cutters are essential if you want to use this sturdy wire for creating jewellery, as it will damage the jaws of regular wire cutters.
NYLON-JAW PLIERS Nylon-jaw pliers are identical to flat-nosed pliers except that the jaws are moulded from plastic and are used to handle soft precious-metal wires and components that could be easily marked or dented.
WIRE-WORKING TOOLS If you are keen to create your own wire components, a chasing hammer and steel stake are essential for flattening and workhardening (toughening) wire shapes. Chasing hammers are lightweight and easy to handle, and steel stakes on which to hammer your work have an ultra-smooth surface to eliminate the chance of marking your pieces.
BEADING TWEEZERS A pair of beading tweezers is handy for managing tiny seed beads and unpicking knots in stringing materials.
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VINTAGE CHIC Exquisite designs with a retro twist
SHELL SEEKERS
On sale 9th July 2010
Girlie makes with shells and pearls
BEAUTIFUL BEADWEAVING Master the art of this wonderfully versatile technique
STUNNING SPIRELLI Funky makes that are bang on trend
METAL MARVELS Innovative ideas making clever use of beads and brads PLUS an abundance of inspirational beading and jewellery projects, all the latest news and reviews, and much more! Creative Beads & Jewellery is only available through beading, jewellery and craft stores. If you want to guarantee that you don’t miss an issue, you can ask your local store to place a regular order for you. Once set up, your copy will be held for you to collect. Simply complete this form and hand it in at your nearest beading, jewellery or craft store. Dear Shop Owner Please reserve me a copy of Creative Beads & Jewellery TITLE Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms ............................... First Name............................ Surname.......................................................................................... Address............................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ Postcode ...........................................Tel .........................................
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LIFE IN MONOCHROME Contemporary designs with timeless appeal